


Leviathan

by suhossineun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Horror, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Boats and Ships, Darkness, Enemies to Lovers, Established Relationship, Forests, Graphic Description, M/M, Multi, Near Death, Non-Graphic Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Permanent Injury, Survival Horror, Transformation, Urban Fantasy, i'll update the tags as I go so check them with each chapter!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-05-13 02:49:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 67,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19242307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suhossineun/pseuds/suhossineun
Summary: Baekhyun and Chanyeol are shipwrecked on a strange island.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for M, A, and B for reading this chapter for me beforehand!! 
> 
> follow me on twitter @ suhossineun

”There’s a weird kind of fog over there.” Chanyeol’s voice comes booming even over the sound of waves crashing against their ship. “There was no weather warning, right?”

“No, there wasn’t,” Baekhyun yells back at him. He has his hands full, trying to steer the ship while keeping an eye on their fishing rods. These are unfamiliar waters, as they’ve sailed quite far out from their usual routes, but they’re searching for better catch as fish has been rather sparse these past couple of weeks. The ship is a little big for just two men to manage, but since everyone else was needed to handle the usual chores, only Baekhyun and Chanyeol set sail to explore a little bit. “Does it look that bad?”

“See for yourself,” Chanyeol tells him, and Baekhyun finally does, looking over his shoulder. And indeed- there’s a thick wall of fog where there should only be water stretching beyond the horizon. It makes Baekhyun’s stomach turn; he’s been doing this since he was a young boy and the GPS and such should be more than enough to keep them safe, but such anomalies always make sailors a little concerned.

His phone has barely any service left, but still, he whips it out to check the weather. The page loads slowly but it tells him exactly what he saw in the morning; clear skies, pleasant temperatures. No word about a thick, impenetrable fog anywhere.

“Huh,” he says to himself, pocketing his phone once again. “That’s weird.”

Chanyeol runs up into the little cabin, eyes fixated on the fog. “The wind’s blowing that way, though,” he says, still talking as loud as he did when screaming from the other end of the vessel. “It should clear up. Didn’t you say we should head out further south?”

“Yeah, but…” Baekhyun can’t help but worry. Chanyeol is right, the wind is blowing in the direction of the fog, so by all laws of nature, the fog should dissipate, or at least get blown out of their way. Sailing right towards it, though, really doesn’t sit right with him. If there’s anything he’s learned about sailing, it’s that out here, you’re on your own. You can’t make foolish mistakes, because there will be no one to help you out of sticky situations. But his boyfriend is much more optimistic than him- or a lot more stupid.

“It’s what your old man told us to do,” Chanyeol points out, and gives Baekhyun a smile. “It’s probably nothing. It’s just fog, we can deal with it. I was just a little surprised, it kind of came out of nowhere.”

Chanyeol knows which strings to pull. Baekhyun would never want to disappoint his father; he’s spent his life in the shadow of his older brother, and he feels like he has to prove himself to somehow. His father pointed out these waters on the map for them to scout out, and he knows his dad wouldn’t be impressed if he came back home only to tell him that he abandoned the mission because of a sudden fog that made him a little nervous.

“Fine,” he says with a sigh, and corrects their course back towards the south, towards the fog. “Check the fishing lines, are we getting anything?”

“Aye, captain,” Chanyeol says and smacks him on the ass, hard, before leaping away to run to the back of the ship to look at the lines. Baekhyun would run after him to retaliate, but he can’t leave the cabin, for someone has to watch where they’re going.

But despite the direction of the wind, they do sail into the fog before long. Baekhyun turns to talk to Chanyeol for just a fleeting moment, asking him about this or that, and when he turns to look straight ahead again, the fog is swallowing them whole. There’s nothing gradual about it; one moment they’re in the open, and in the next, all he can see is fog. It’s like a door had closed behind them. Baekhyun has never experienced anything like this.

“I can’t even see the ends of the fishing rods,” Chanyeol says, and even his impressive voice comes out muffled, as he emerges out of the fog and steps into the cabin. It’s indeed impossible to see so much as the other end of the boat from the cabin, and even the wind is gone; Baekhyun can still make out the shape of the sun above them, but that is all.

The only thing that comforts him at all is that the GPS seems to be running normally. “Well, at least we still know where we are.” He says this and tries to channel as much of his own confidence as possible. Panic is deadly, and fear is healthy only in small doses. As the captain of the ship, no matter how small, he needs to stay calm. “I’ll turn us around.   
There’s no point in even being here when we can’t even bloody tell if fish are taking the bait. We can come back tomorrow.”

He begins to turn the ship around, to head out of the fog, but then Chanyeol squints at something on the larboard. “I thought I saw something,” he murmurs, but when Baekhyun opens his mouth to ask him about it, he holds up a finger, hushing him.

For a moment they just stand there, still, holding their breaths. “I can’t hear anything,” Baekhyun whispers after a while. He’s straining his ears, but he can’t tell what he’s supposed to be listening for. “What did you see? What did you hear?”

“I’m not quite sure,” Chanyeol says quietly, head turning from side to side as he tries to scan their surroundings. “Like a big shadow, I think… On the water. But it was gone so fast… And I thought I heard water splashing, like something had emerged out of it and dove back down… But I must have just imagined that.”

Baekhyun’s skin crawls, but he tries to brush it off. “You’re going crazy, Park,” he tries to summon some mischief into his voice, but it’s even harder to fake than confidence. “There are no whales around here. This isn’t Moby Dick.”

Chanyeol scowls at him and reaches over to push him lightly but then the entire ship rumbles beneath their feet, a shudder going through the entire frame- something bumped against the starboard side. They both look at each other and then rush over to the starboard, but there’s nothing in the water, just strange ripples that cannot be from the waves alone.

“What the fuck was that?” Chanyeol whispers, and Baekhyun is just about to answer, when something hits the boat again, this time in the stern. The entire ship rattles with the force of it, and both of them topple down, unable to keep their balance with the sudden impact.

“Fuck, are we bumping into rocks or something?” But there’s definite fear in Chanyeol’s voice now, not just mere confusion, and Baekhyun knows just as well as he does that this far out, there shouldn’t be any rocks they could be hitting. Whatever it is, it’s not something as innocent as that.

Baekhyun dashes back into the cabin even as something crashes into the boat again, sending it rocking from side to side, threatening to take in water over the edges with how violently it sways. He falls down and scrambles back up again, holding onto anything he can grasp to brace himself for another collision while staring at the sonar screen to try and see what’s below them.

The huge figure moving across the screen at an alarming pace makes his blood turn cold. There’s no logical explanation for what it could be- he’s never seen anything like it. He has sailed the Yellow sea and the East China sea for as long as he can remember, his father and his family lineage all sailors, but no one ever told him about this. He has no idea what it might be- all he knows that it’s attacking them, can see it on the screen, and there’s nothing he can do except yell at Chanyeol to hold on tight as the creature rams against the hull of the ship once more.

“Toss the bait bucket into the sea!” That is the only thing he can think of doing- maybe the beast will care more for food than for their ship. Chanyeol dashes for the bucket of bait and hurls it into the water just seconds before the creature hits them again. The hull is leaking water now; the material has dented, and it’s breaking. Their little vessel cannot withstand an attack like this for much longer.

There’s a slight pause, and then, they see it. The monster emerges from the water, or at least a part of it does. Its body is like that of a snake as it swims through water, but it also has tentacles that grab the bucket and crush it like it’s nothing, before it dives back down, its long body moving through water as it turns and twists and hides away from view once more, its black and grey scales blending with the dark waters, camouflaging it. It’s not a squid, not a whale- and Baekhyun and Chanyeol both know that they only just saw a part of it, not even its entirety.

“Fuck,” Baekhyun whispers under his breath as he turns the wheel as fast as he can, to direct the ship back to where they came from, revving the engine to get the boat moving as fast as it’ll go. He knows it’s desperate, but he can’t just stand there idle- if they sink, if they end up in the water, it’ll be their end, no two ways about it. He’ll do whatever he can to get them out of here.

But he’s just as helpless against the onslaught as the ship. The beast is toying with them- it runs into their boat once more, knocking it back, deeper into the fog. Water rushes in over the edges as they get knocked down, before the boat bobs back up again, and all Baekhyun and Chanyeol can do is hold on. Baekhyun struggles to stand upright, to hold onto the wheel, to try and sail away from it, but he’s completely disoriented now, doesn’t know which way is up and which is down- and he can tell from the way the boat turns that it’s really been damaged, now. But he still keeps trying, still tries to get away, even as they get tossed around like a mere toy ship. The monster is playing with them, like a cat playing with its food.

And then, it crashes into them hard enough to tip the entire boat over. It’s taken on too much water and as it rolls over, it doesn’t straighten itself back up anymore. Baekhyun and Chanyeol both fall overboard, landing in the water and everything is just chaos, debris and water and things bumping into them, tossing them around in the sea as if they weigh nothing, knocking them down, further below the surface.

This is it, floats through Baekhyun’s head even as he struggles to swim- but he has no idea if he’s swimming towards the surface, if the beast is right behind him, if he’ll be ripped apart or drown first. This is how it all ends. But his body refuses to just give in, his head turning wildly as he tries to see the monster coming in for the kill, tries to see the faintest bit of light to direct him to the surface, his feet kicking and hands flailing to propel himself forward. The water around him is so dark, so disorienting, the coldness pricking at his skin, and the most he can make out is the looming shadow of the ship. 

No sight of Chanyeol, no sight of the monster. Perhaps he’s been eaten already. Baekhyun has to fight panic, the irrational urge to scream out of fear. The need to breathe is growing ever more urgent, his hands shaking, but then, he sees it- the faintest promise of light, up and right of him, and he begins to swim towards it, fighting to keep his limbs moving, fighting the need for air, to persevere a little longer, just a little while longer...

For a few frightening moments that stretch on for a short eternity, he thinks he’s not going to make it. Teetering on the edge of consciousness, his lungs burning, his heart beat thundering in his ears, the knowledge that the beast must be right behind him, somewhere, it’s all too much- and then the waves spit him out on a shore, cast him out as though telling him to get lost, to get out. That he’s no longer wanted there, in the realm of water.

He’s disoriented and lost, but his body has a strong will to survive, and he pushes himself up on his knees as soon as he feels sand beneath him, up on his feet, runs away from the water as fast as he can, scared to look back in fear of seeing the monster right behind him. Chanyeol is in front of him, in all fours, spitting out sea water, and he grabs him by the arm, hauls him up and forces him to run with him, stumbling forward as fast as they can to get further away, to run away from danger. The beast roars behind them, or maybe it’s just the ocean, moaning for losing the two sailors it thought it had already claimed as its own.

They’re so frightened that they don’t stop running until they’ve made it to the patch grass swaying on the hill that rises steeply from the sand. Baekhyun lets go of Chanyeol who collapses to the ground, coughing and wheezing for air, and Baekhyun turns around, falls backwards on his behind as he does, panting as he stares at the ocean. And there, amidst the fog, amidst the wreck of their ship, he can see the body of the monster, its tentacles reaching out of the water, and for one fleeting moment he fears that it might try to tug their boat into the sea with it, before it vanishes underneath the waves. All that is left to speak of the encounter is their boat, lying on its side in the shallow water where the waves pushed it and left it.

Chanyeol finally hacks up all of the salt water from his lungs, and he rolls over to lie on his back, chest rising and falling rapidly still. “What the fuck,” he whimpers in disbelief. “What the fuck was that? Did we just… did we just almost die?”

Baekhyun still can’t take his eyes off the water, scanning the surface in fear that the monster might leap out of the water, that it might throw itself on the shore, for who could be sure that it wouldn’t know how to walk on land. “I think… I think so,” he murmurs, hands clenching his thighs tightly as dizziness washes over him, and he leans over to throw up, violently emptying out everything he’d had for breakfast that day.

It’s not until much later that they gain control of their own bodies again, that their minds calm down enough for them to do anything. The ship is obviously quite damaged, that much they can tell even from distance, and they’re much too scared of the sea monster to approach it just yet even if the radio might still be functional. Besides that, there’s nothing else to see- the fog hiding everything from view like a blanket over their heads.

The beach is empty. There’s no peer, no boats, no tangible signs of human life. There’s very little sand and a lot of rocks, and the steep hill they’re on levels out a few meters further toward inland. There are bushes and then forest that way, and beyond the treetops, there’s a faint trail of smoke rising up, visible only because the horrific fog appears to only surround the island they’re on, rather than coming up on land. There’s even a patch of blue sky visible, right above, even if the fog on the water is still impenetrable.

“There was no island in the maps,” Baekhyun says out loud, trying to process this. “There was nothing- we would know what this island was, if there was one here. This isn’t our first time sailing in these waters.”

Chanyeol nods, eyes blown wide. There’s a slight tremor to his voice that he’s trying to conceal. “Maybe we weren’t paying attention to where we were going,” he says quietly, but they both know it’s a garbage excuse. They wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake, and with modern, functioning equipment, it would be quite impossible to get so lost and disoriented anyway.

They both sit in silence for a while, both trying to work this out in their heads although it’s hard to make the sum somehow logical when none of the parts make any sense. “Well, I guess we got lucky that this island is here,” Baekhyun finally says. “Otherwise we would have drowned, or been eaten. Or both.” Definitely both. “This island, no matter what it is, saved our asses from certain death.”

Again, Chanyeol nods, rubbing at his temple. “I guess we should see where that smoke is coming from,” he says after a long moment of silence. “Or just get further away from the water. I can’t stomach being this close to it right now.”

Baekhyun feels ill at ease leaving the boat behind unguarded, but he agrees with Chanyeol. The further away from it they get, the better. Even if the monster were to reappear to try and take their boat, what could they possibly do about it? And although they should see what they can scavenge from it, or try and use the radio to call for help, neither of them feels brave enough to approach the waterline just yet.

The smoke at least suggests the presence of other human beings. No matter what, they should be able to help them. To get back home, one way or another.

They stand up and stagger up the hillside until they get on even land. The shrubbery is thick and appears as though no one has been here in a long time, but as soon as they make it into the forest, there are pathways there. They’re narrow, winding, and covered in pine needles, but they’re there. A sign of life, even if it’s only that of deer, perhaps.

“That thing was like straight out of a horror story- the one where there’s a monster in Han river, in Seoul, have you seen it?” Chanyeol, for once in his life, speaks in a quiet voice. Baekhyun reaches out to squeeze his arm, and then slides his hand into his, to hold it. To provide comfort, and to receive it as well.

“No matter what it was, though, I’m never gonna sail again.” Chanyeol says this with conviction, and Baekhyun can’t blame him. “I’m never, ever going to step on a boat again. I’m not going to risk running into a creature like that- what if it’s not the only one? _What if it’s not even the biggest one?_ ”

“If there are others, I can’t imagine why we’ve never heard of them,” Baekhyun murmurs. The pines around them are so tall he feels dizzy looking up at them, and thick enough that he and Chanyeol together wouldn’t be able to wrap their arms around their trunks. But oddly, there are no birds singing, no squirrels scuttling along the forest floor- no sign of animals anywhere, just the silent trees, a slight breeze going through them, making both of them shiver in their wet clothes.

They walk for a while. The island is bigger than what it had seemed at first- at most, Baekhyun had anticipated it being a couple hundred meters across. There could be no island bigger than that hiding in these waters. Yet it takes them perhaps an hour, perhaps two to finally get to where the smoke is coming from.

At first, they see the walls of small houses in between the trees, and then the people mingling around, going about their chores. Comforted by the thought of finding people who could help them, who could help make sense of what they’d just been through, they rush towards the houses, eager to get out of the eerily silent forest and into civilization.

The reality of this civilization dawns on them as soon as they step out of the trees and into the village. It’s as though they walked onto the set of a period drama, or into one of the hanok villages in Bukchon, or Jeonju, even some of the small islands in the outskirts of the archipelago where such lifestyles have been somewhat preserved. 

Some of the houses have thatched roofs, and they’re built out of stone and wood, some quite crudely made while others show a little more care and finesse in the craftsmanship, their windows small, closed and opened with wooden slats, and instead of glass, they’re made with thin rice paper.

Yet it’s not so much the houses that are surprising, but the people. Everyone is wearing traditional clothes, hanbok- the women are dressed in white, long chimas and white, short jeoggoris, tied at the breast with narrow ribbons. Their hair is tied and braided at the back, either hanging down freely or gathered into a bun at the nape of the neck, help in place by simple pins. There are only some in the sparse crowd that are wearing any color, mostly just earthly tones of light yellows, faint reds. The men are dressed in equally old-fashioned manner, in white, wide-legged pants and loose-fitting jeoggori as well, some dyed to a shade of delicate blues, yellows, browns. They also all have long hair, tied together in a topknot at the top of their heads.

Everyone is now staring at them, having paused in their work, and Baekhyun somehow feels like they jumped out of the pan only to end up in the fire instead. He’s never seen anything like this, and by the looks of bewilderment on everyone’s faces and the fact that there is no camera crew present, this is not just a filming site.

It seems hard to believe that these could be real, breathing people, genuinely living like this on this mysterious island, but a part of him is tired of being surprised and confused already. Soon, he’ll be ready to accept anything, even two moons in the sky.

Chanyeol squeezes his shoulder tightly as the people begin to approach them, their brows furrowed, their mouths pressed into thin lines. “What the bloody hell is this?” he whispers. “Look at all these people- what is this?”

“I don’t know.” Baekhyun has had to say that way too much just in the past few hours. “I really wish I did.”

He decides he should address these people somehow, as they keep walking closer to them. No matter their circumstances, this must be equally baffling for them all. “We got shipwrecked on the shore that way,” he says, gesturing at their still wet clothes and then the direction they came from. “We came here looking for help.”

The man closest to them, perhaps in his mid-forties, nods his head solemnly. “No one ever comes to this island except by wicked accident,” he says gravely, and there’s a definite old-fashioned pattern and rhythm to his speech. It’s not quite how people speak in period dramas, a little more like Baekhyun recalls his grandfather speaking, but it seems as though he could still understand his modern speech perfectly fine.

“By wicked accident… do you mean the sea monster? Because that was the reason for our emergency.” Just thinking about it makes Baekhyun feel nauseous. “It attacked us not far from here, and pushed our boat over. We barely survived its attack.”

He worried that the villagers might not know anything of the monster, but instead, everyone nods upon hearing this. It feels comforting- to know that someone believes them, believes their story. Baekhyun knows for certain that people won’t be quite as easy to convince back at home, if anyone will believe their story at all. The confirmation that they didn’t just somehow hallucinate it all validates the horrible experience, even though in some regards, it would probably be easier to push it aside as a mere trick of the mind. To pretend it was all just a fever dream, and forget.

“Where is your boat now?” A woman speaks up, inching closer. There’s something manic in her eyes, and Baekhyun’s skin crawls, not for the first time either. He can’t bear to look at her directly, but when he scans the crowd, the eerie feeling that something isn’t right grows only stronger. There’s something wild about these people, about how they’re staring at them- it’s not just this one woman.

“It’s on the shore,” Chanyeol supplies, gesturing behind them once more. “It washed up with us. It’s banged up real good, but we didn’t check it’s condition properly. We were scared shitless after the attack.”

“So you have a vessel.” The man who spoke with them first muses, and exchanges looks with the others. “Pray tell, why were you sailing? Are you merchants of some kind, or were you out fishing?”

“Fishing,” Baekhyun hurries to say. “Well- we were just testing the waters, really. To see if we’d bring our nets and pods out here to properly catch some fish. We didn’t bring much gear with us.”

There are murmurs in the crowd, so quiet that he can’t quite figure out what they’re saying, but it appears that what he said was pleasing to most. He can’t understand why, but with the odd tension rippling in the air, he’s glad to have said the right thing.

“Very well.” The man says, and claps Baekhyun on the shoulder, squeezes it tightly. Too tightly- Baekhyun can’t help but wince slightly. “So young fishermen. Just the two of you. That’s alright, you still have your boat. Don’t fret, the leviathan won’t touch it, and the waves aren’t strong enough to wash it away, I’m sure. Unless it is only a small rowing boat…”

“No, it’s a proper boat, with an engine and all,” Baekhyun replies, and everyone seems even happier at that.

“Well then. Let us feed you, get you changed- your clothes must be uncomfortable, sopping wet as you are. Come this way.” The man gestures towards one of the houses, and some women leave the crowd to dart towards the house, ducking inside and vanishing from view, presumably headed to the kitchen to retrieve the food the man promised them.

Baekhyun opens his mouth, not sure of what he’s going to say, but Chanyeol presses a hand in between his shoulder blades, nudges him forward. “I’m starving,” he says, and Baekhyun can tell how earnest he is. “Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome, son,” the man says, bowing to them before he lets them inside. “We must treat our guests well. After all, kind acts are usually rewarded.”

Baekhyun furrows his brows, still doesn’t know what to say, but he doesn’t resist when they’re taken to a room at the back of the house. An elderly woman is busily going through trunks there, inspecting the pieces of clothing inside, sorting through them, before she stands up and hands them the pile that she chose.

It’s like a strange form of masquerade, getting dressed in these clothes from the past, except they’re nothing like the hanboks they’ve worn before. The modern hanboks are often made of synthetic materials if made cheap, or woven with high quality silk, satin, or cotton. But these, while clearly made with great care, each garment sown delicately, feel nothing like that at all; if it’s cotton, it’s coarser than anything they’ve ever felt before.

As they’re left alone while they’re changing, Chanyeol leans into to speak to him directly, clearly afraid that someone might be listening in through the thin inner walls. “What the _fuck_ is this place? Are these people mad? Why are they living like this?”

Baekhyun shakes his head, fastening the jeoggori with unsteady hands, his exhaustion and even fear getting to him now. “I wish I knew. They’re… But we can’t ask questions just now. Not before we…” He doesn’t quite know what he means by that. It’s nothing but a gut feeling. “Maybe they’re like… Like Amish people, in America. I saw it on TV once. Maybe they live like this on purpose.”

Chanyeol nods grimly, seemingly placated by this answer for now. They finish getting dressed up- complete with every piece of garment they were given, even inside shoes. Unsure of what else to do, they hold their wet clothes as they exit the room, although the elderly woman is right there to snatch it out of their hands and take them away- hopefully to let them dry, and not to get rid of them.

In the meantime, a meal has been set out in the main room on a low table, the old man seated before it already, sitting cross-legged on the floor. “Forgive us for this humble meal,” he says, gesturing at the table, urging them to sit down with him. “Since no one ever visits us, and since you came to us so suddenly, we didn’t have time to prepare a great feast.”

“No, it’s alright. We’re really hungry, we’ll eat anything.”

But as they sit down, Baekhyun can’t help but notice something.

The food they’ve been presented with is quite… peculiar. There’s barley rice, there are some pickled vegetables, some fish, seaweed soup, but it’s all very sloppily prepared. The barley rice, as Baekhyun takes a spoonful, hasn’t been fully cooked; the vegetables are roughly cut and taste as though they’ve been pickling for sometime too long. Everything is seasoned weird to the point that it’s only barely edible. The fish has been left slightly raw as well, and messily gutted, like whoever prepared it didn’t care much about the end result. Baekhyun can’t look directly at Chanyeol, because he doesn’t want to make it obvious to their hosts how bizarre they both find all of this.

But like they said, they’re very hungry, and even this bit of food is better than no food. The man himself only touches the fish, eating it with a faint look of disinterest, if not outright disgust on his face. They eat their meal in relative silence, all focused on eating, even if in various states of discomfort.

Afterwards, barley tea is brought to them, once again its taste just a little bit off, a little bit strange, a note of old basement in it, but Baekhyun sips it politely regardless, doesn’t want to upset these people. Right now, they have no one else to turn to for help, and the last thing he wants is to do something that would make them deny their assistance.   
It’s only once all dishes have been cleared from the table that the man speaks again. “So you had a run-in with the leviathan. That is unfortunate, but at least you survived it, by the grace of heavens. Most people do not- we know this, as their ships and what remains of their bodies are washed ashore here.”

Just imagining that has shivers running down Baekhyun’s spine, and Chanyeol’s hand is quickly resting against his lower back, the slow back and forth of his thumb a silent reassurance. “Yeah, it almost had us,” he murmurs. “I guess we got lucky. We capsized near your island, and the waves brought us to the shore before it got to us.”

“We’ve never seen anything like it,” Chanyeol chimes in. “We’ve never even heard of anything like it. What the fuck is it?”

The man sighs, as though resigning himself to repeating a story he’s sick and tired of. “We’re not quite sure _what_ it is. We call it a monster, a leviathan, a creature. But it seems to have taken a liking to our island. It never goes far. Perhaps it has a nest somewhere nearby, although if it is raising offspring, we’ve never seen them, and pray that we never will.”

“It stays right here?” Baekhyun reaches under the table for Chanyeol’s leg. “By the island?”

The man’s expression is grim, his eyes boring right through him. “Yes. It’s always somewhere close. Every boat we set sail in, it destroys. Every ship that comes too close, it sinks. There is no way to escape from it, its eyes too sharp and its ears too keen. We’ve tried everything we could, but we’ve had no luck. It holds us as prisoners, right on this island.”  
Baekhyun squeezes Chanyeol’s leg, his hands trembling suddenly. “It… It never leaves? It never sleeps?” And he can’t keep the tremor out of his voice, either- the meaning of the man’s words all too clear, but he doesn’t want to believe it. Doesn’t want this to be real.

The man shakes his head solemnly. “Like I already told you, we’ve tried everything we could. We’ve tried sailing out in the dead of the night, or early in the morning. We’ve tried it in the winter seas, in autumn storms, in the monsoon season, in the early spring. We’ve tried sails, oars, small boats, big boats. We’ve tried just sitting on a raft and letting only the wind carry us away, being as quiet as possible. We’ve used baits on the other side of the island, or sending two boats out at once on opposite sides. But no luck. It sees everything, it destroys everything.”

“That isn’t possible.” Chanyeol has never in his life sounded so small, so terrified. Baekhyun can’t even recall a time when he’s seen him cry in front of someone who isn’t family, yet now his eyes are brimming with tears. “That can’t be fucking right. There are no monsters like that!”

If the man is surprised by Chanyeol’s emotional response, he doesn’t show it, but there’s something hard to read in his strange, wild eyes. “Perhaps it is impossible. Yet this leviathan, it is real. It exists. And now, unfortunately, you are stranded on this island. You are stuck with us. Cut off from the world, like us.”

*****

The man calls on a young man to take them to a different house to stay and sleep in. “Perhaps morning will bring you peace and clarity,” he wishes them at the doorway. “Rest well. Your situation won’t seem so bleak, once you’ve gathered your strength and wits once more.”

Baekhyun finds it impossible to agree with that right now, but he says nothing, only wishes the man goodnight, before tugging Chanyeol by the hand to follow the young man now showing them the way.

The man can’t stop himself from glancing at them over his shoulder over and over as they walk down the path. The village is mostly quiet now, as the sun is almost beyond the horizon, and darkness is creeping in. The man is holding a lantern in his hand, to help light the way, although judging by how little attention he’s paying to his feet, he would find his way even in the dark.

His curiosity might be amusing at any other time, but right now Baekhyun nor Chanyeol has the energy to entertain him and his possible questions, only trudging along behind him, seeking comfort in each other by holding hands. Baekhyun’s head positively aches, trying to comprehend all that has happened, all that has been told to him, but although he craves to fall asleep and stop thinking for a while, he doubts he’ll be able to rest tonight.

The young man takes them to a house no different from the rest, except it’s dark inside, no sign of anyone living in it. “I’ll set up the fire for you, it might be too chilly, otherwise,” he says as he quickly ducks further into the house, taking his lantern with him, leaving Chanyeol and Baekhyun to wait for him in the dark. But he doesn’t take long, clearly knowing what he’s doing, and he returns quickly, and takes them into another room where the sleeping mats are kept.

“This room will get warm up first,” he tells them, tapping the floor with his foot to indicate the ondeol hiding underneath the floorboards. “So it’s best you sleep here. I’ll leave the lantern with you, but you must blow it out before you fall asleep. If you open the slats, you’ll get the first rays of the morning sun.”

“Thank you,” Baekhyun murmurs, utterly exhausted. The man hovers there for a moment, watching them spread out the sleeping mats, and finally leaves, clearly reluctant to do so but unable to find an excuse to stay. The door closes behind him, and his quiet footsteps can be heard on the footpath as he heads back.

As they prepare their beds, they don’t speak to one another, only go through the unfamiliar motions. This is also something they’ve only ever seen in movies, in TV dramas, in museums- laying down the mats, the hard pillows, the blankets. Like the man said, the floor quickly heats up as the fire burns and hot smoke spreads through the ondeol pipes. They get undressed, clumsily taking off the strange clothes, and Baekhyun blows out the candle in the lantern, and they lie down side by side, staring at the ceiling.

“Baekhyun-ah…” Chanyeol’s voice is a mere whisper. “Are we… Are we really stuck here? Forever?”

Spoken out loud, the words are like a key turning in a lock, sealing their fate in this prison of an island. Baekhyun grits his teeth to try and fight off the tears, to not give in, but a snivel escapes him regardless, and as he blinks, the tears spill over, cascade down his temples towards his ears. It’s Chanyeol who moves first, rolling over to his side so he can pull him to his chest, although he’s weeping just as helplessly as Baekhyun is.

But each other’s embrace is all they have for comfort, here.

*****

Morning promises no hope. It’s Baekhyun who wakes up first, to the sound of someone moving inside the house- it scares him, at first, until he remembers that in such a foreign place, there is no reason or rhyme in being afraid of strange things. It will only tire him out, exhaust him.

He puts on clothes and pads out of the room to find the young man from yesterday puttering around. There’s something sharp about his smile, even if his cheeks are round and dimpled, his eyes dark as the night sky even as they crinkle up above his high cheekbones. Perhaps it’s the teeth- there’s something unnerving about his mouth, only that Baekhyun can’t quite put his finger on it.

“Oh, you’re awake,” he chirrups, strangely delighted. “I didn’t know if you know how to start a fire and such, so I thought it best I came down to see to it. Breakfast is almost ready, although I’m afraid I’m not a very practiced cook.”

“It’s alright,” Baekhyun murmurs, and rubs at his eyes. He licks across his upper teeth, cringing at how disgusting it feels. “We’re not picky.”

“That is a relief.” The young man is so sincere, too. “Afterwards, I can show you around the village and the island, if you’d like. Eventually, the elders will want to discuss with you. About things.” At this, he seems to hesitate, as though unsure if that was the right way to put it. “Your ship, and such, I guess.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Baekhyun is immediately overcome with a wave of exhaustion, but he does his best to shake it off. Pessimism has never been natural to him. Even in a situation like this, he can’t just roll over and give up. Only a part of him wishes that he didn’t have to think about this yet, however, for he knows instinctively that no matter which path they take, it’ll be very, very difficult.

It’s just a lingering sense of dread, like a bad omen, constantly reminding him that luck is not on their side.

He shakes his head. He has no idea why he feels so down. It really isn’t like him.

“The food! I’ll go get it, hyung should just sit down and wait.” The man says this with a smile that suggests he knows more than he lets on, but Baekhyun doesn’t have time to say anything before he disappears into the kitchen.

Their conversation seems to have woken up Chanyeol, who emerges from the room just in time to join them for breakfast. It’s more barley rice, more fish, more oddly pickled vegetables, and tea that Baekhyun can’t recognize. The atmosphere is also no different from last night, except the young man can’t stop staring at them as they eat, only touching the fish himself, picking at it as though he’s only eating to have an excuse to sit with them.

Chanyeol clears his throat. “Sorry to ask you so late but, what’s your name? We were a little frazzled yesterday to think about introducing ourselves. I’m Chanyeol, and this is Baekhyun.”

“Oh, I’m Junmyeon,” he says, and flashes them another one of his smiles. “I wasn’t upset that you didn’t introduce yourselves to me, so don’t worry about it. Names aren’t so important around here.”

Baekhyun cocks an eyebrow at that, and glances at Chanyeol who gives him a quizzical look back. But although there’s an obvious question there, neither of them say it out loud.

After breakfast, Junmyeon makes good of his promise to show them around. The village is quite small, so getting to know the ins and outs of it is rather easy. Baekhyun counts maybe twenty homes, maybe thirty- there can’t be more than a hundred people living here, perhaps 150 at most. Strangely, there are no children, and no babies anywhere, but perhaps they’re all playing indoors, hidden from sight. Everywhere they go, there are people tending to their chores once more; fixing up their homes, bringing in wood from the forest, fish from the ocean, mending clothes. The forest around them swallows up most of the noise, but the distant sound of waves crashing to the shore can still be heard, like a constant low note, stricken over and over.

“The closest beach is this way,” Junmyeon tells them as he leads them down a wide path. “The direction you came from is almost as far as you can go on this island.”

Baekhyun tries to do the math in his head. If it took them a couple of hours to get to the village, and if that should be the furthest point from here, the island isn’t very big at all. It calms him, strangely- it puts him more at ease to know that he didn’t somehow miss or ignore an island the size of Jeju. An island of this size is easier to rationalize, to justify.  
He takes Chanyeol’s hand and they follow Junmyeon down the path, emerging from the tree line to a rocky, narrow shore with even bigger boulders sticking out of the water although upon closer inspection, it’s easy to tell that some of them aren’t rocks at all.

“Shipwrecks,” Junmyeon says, and gestures towards them with his hand. “You got lucky. If you had come to the island from this direction, the rocks would have torn your boat into shreds. You wouldn’t have survived that.”

“Really lucky,” Chanyeol murmurs, crossing his arms over his chest. Baekhyun follows his gaze towards the horizon, which is still hidden from view by the persistent fog. Every ripple in the water, every big wave startle them both, their thoughts immediately mistaking it for the monster lurking somewhere out there. It makes Junmyeon grin, seeing them so jumpy.

“It’s too shallow here, it can’t come up on the shore,” he quips, and goes to prove this by kicking off his shoes and pulling up his pants to wade into the water. “It can’t get to us here, and that’s a good thing, because otherwise we wouldn’t be able to fish.”

Even though what he’s saying makes perfect sense, it’s still hard for Baekhyun not to grab the man by the arm to pull him to safety. It’s strange because he’s never been scared of the ocean, or water itself; he grew up surrounded by it, has known to how sail and swim for as long as he can remember. But yesterday, it changed something, broke something- a sense of trust he had for the sea as his second home. If it could hide this much from him, from all of them, then how could he ever be sure that there aren’t other such surprises lurking beneath the surface?

Chanyeol seems to feel the same way, pulling Baekhyun further away from the water’s edge. “I think we’ve seen enough, here,” he murmurs, chewing on his bottom lip as though biting back words. “Was there something else you wanted to show us, or can we head back to go talk to your elders about stuff? Like how we’re gonna ever get out of here.”

Something dark flashes in Junmyeon’s eyes, but he says nothing as he wades back out of the water. “Yes, we can go talk,” he agrees. “I think we all are curious to hear how you plan to escape our island. You should understand that it’s of interest to us, too.”

Of course it is. Baekhyun immediately understands what Junmyeon is trying to say; the islanders also wish for a way out. They’re just as much held hostage here as they are, have been for a long time. Of course they would be eager to figure out a way to escape this place.

Chanyeol’s hand is heavy as he rests it on Baekhyun’s shoulder while they hike up the trail. “I really, really don’t want to stay here,” he murmurs, leaning down to speak directly into Baekhyun’s ear. “Just look at this place, the size of this island… I’m gonna go crazy if I have to stay here. We have to get out of here.”

Baekhyun pats his fingers to try and console him. “I know, Yeol-ah,” he replies. “You know I feel the same way. But please… You can’t keep snapping at people. I know you’re upset, we both are, but these people are the only help we have. What are we gonna do if they get mad at us?”

He can hear Chanyeol sigh. “I’m just so angry,” Chanyeol says, and his voice grows even quieter. “Not at anyone in particular, just… just all of this. Which makes it even worse because I can’t yell at anybody or do anything, because it’s no one’s fault that we’re here. I can’t punish anyone for this, but I want to.”

Chanyeol has never said anything so aggressive in his life, and it’s startling, but Baekhyun finds some of that anger deep within himself too. This whole situation is just so unfair- maybe it would feel easier if there was someone to blame for this.

He glances over his shoulder at the sparkling water, disappearing between the trees. Maybe there is something to blame, even if it doesn’t understand words.

Everyone seems to have been expecting them already, gathered in the largest house of the entire village, seemingly built for the sake of hosting such meetings. Although it’s a lot of people, it’s surprisingly quiet as people only whisper amongst themselves. But it’s not just that relative silence that is unnerving; somehow, Baekhyun feels like the eyes watching them aren’t so friendly, even if everyone is smiling at them, teeth and all.

The same man who had taken the lead before stands up tonight as well. Junmyeon had told them that everyone refers to him teacher Choe. He gestures for Chanyeol and Baekhyun to stand beside him, and then turns to the villagers to speak to them.

“As we all know, we received two guests yesterday,” he begins, and there’s a happy undertone to his voice. “Their ship was attacked by the leviathan, when they came too close to the island. They got pushed over, but luckily managed to swim to the shore. They’ve spent the day recuperating, but now it’s time that we discuss what we should do with them.”

Everyone laughs, and even Chanyeol manages a joyless chuckle at this. “We want to go home,” he says, looking around in the room as though to convince everyone of his seriousness. “I mean, as nice as your village is, we really wanna go home.”

“And how will you do that?” Teacher Choe says this so casually, considering he spent all of yesterday convincing them of how impossible it is to fool the sea monster. Baekhyun is thrown in for a loop, and even as he glances up at Chanyeol, he can see just how stumped he is by the sudden challenge.

“We haven’t… thought about it yet.” Baekhyun swallows with difficulty, as all eyes turn to him. “We didn’t look at the ship yet. We hope that we could fix it, and sail back home.”

“This is a good first step,” teacher Choe cajoles, and the villagers nod enthusiastically. Somehow this feels like a cult meeting, people mindlessly accepting the thoughts and opinions of their leader as their own. “But what about the leviathan? How will you defeat it? It will not let you sail away, you know this.”

It feels as though everyone is holding their breath, now. Baekhyun can feel his palms sweating which he tries to wipe away discreetly. “I mean, since outrunning it doesn’t seem possible, I think we’re just gonna have to kill it,” he awkwardly says, and means it completely in pure jest- it’s a knee jerk reaction for him to relieve tension in any social situation through humor, but by the looks of awe and approval on everyone’s faces, he feels like he just made a grave mistake.

But Chanyeol seems to agree with this too, true to his hot temper immediately jumping on this idea. “It deserves to be killed, after what it has done to all of you,” he says with his eyebrows furrowed, and this is followed by some genuine cheers. “I think we can do it, we just have to figure out how. After all, we’re fishermen, and it’s just a big fucking fish.”

People are clapping now, some jumping up to their feet in their enthusiasm. Even teacher Choe is clapping his hands, slowly, but there’s a disconcerting aura to him. But his eyes, much how everyone else’s here, are impossible to read, to decipher. “Very well,” his voice booms over the sounds of enthusiasm. “Very well. This is what we wanted to hear. We’ve waited for a very long time to be set free from our prison. We all know it won’t be an easy task, because many have tried it, and equally as many have failed. But we believe in you, our young friends, and we will do everything in our power to help you. For with your freedom, comes our freedom as well.”

Once again, everyone cheers very loudly, like a thunderstorm confined into such small space, and Baekhyun instinctively backpedals closer to Chanyeol, closer to the comfort and safety of his presence. The open joy and positive reaction to their rushed and perhaps foolish plan does feel uplifting, but only to a degree. He can see a hint of that same apprehension in Chanyeol’s expression, but there is no room to express it here, now.

“We will pull your boat ashore tomorrow,” teacher Choe declares, and so it’s decided. “And you may begin the reparations as required. We all will assist you in finding materials and whatever else you might need for this project. Don’t worry about anything else, as we will clothe you, feed you, and keep you warm, for as long as it takes.”

“For with your freedom, comes our freedom.” The crowd sounds almost hysterical as they say this in unison.

“Indeed.” Teacher Choe nods in approval. “We will discuss the exact method of killing the beast later. For now, let us all go and enjoy dinner, with this glimmering hope of our possible rescue from our miserable fate.”

And just like that, the meeting is dispersed, everyone standing up and hurrying outside, now carrying on their previous conversations in whispers. Baekhyun is in a daze; everything happened so quickly, so unexpectedly, that he’s having trouble catching up with it all. The atmosphere of that meeting, the questions teacher Choe asked them- and the promise they made to these people. The reckless, thoughtless promise.

He doesn’t say anything to Chanyeol, however, as they make their way back to their temporary home. Junmyeon is fluttering around them, trying to be helpful. “I will come with you, get the fire started for you. I can even cook for you!”

“Thank you, but you don’t have to.” Baekhyun is feeling a little irate right now, but he’s trying his best to follow his own advice that he gave to Chanyeol earlier. “We’ll be just fine.”

“I don’t mind it,” Junmyeon assures him, skipping along with them on the path. “Oh, you probably would like to take baths as well, right? I’ll prepare water for your baths, and I’ll go and see if I can get soap for you from somebody.”

“There’s no need,” Baekhyun says more sternly, and Chanyeol turns to look at him, catching on his frustrated tone. “I really don’t care about washing up or hygiene right now.”

There’s a splash of something dark in Junmyeon’s eyes, something that startles Baekhyun a little when he sees it, although it’s gone as soon as it came. But the corners of his mouth are turned downward, his shoulders hunched down, and he pauses in his steps, falling behind.

“I just figured… men don’t usually know how to cook, so I thought you might want some help.” He kicks at the dirt with his toes, frowning at the tips of his shoes. “I’ve learned to cook because I like it, I know how to do it, a little bit at least. I just wanted to help…”

It’s impossible to be upset with someone so openly disheartened. Baekhyun could never stay mad at him anyway, it’s simply not in his nature to ever feel that way. But he is still adamant that he doesn’t want Junmyeon there, and so he ignores the looks Chanyeol is giving him; he knows his boyfriend is even softer at heart than he is.

“We’ll be okay,” he insists once more. “Seriously. We appreciate you wanting to help, but tonight, we just… we just wanna be alone. It’s been a long day. We’ll manage, so just run off.”

“You’ve done so much to help us already,” Chanyeol chimes in finally. “Showing us around the island all day. You must be sick of us by now.”

“I’m really not,” Junmyeon mutters, but he doesn’t keep arguing about it. “Alright. If you say so. Good night.” And he turns around to head back to the village, walking briskly uphill, not looking back.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol exchange no words until they get inside the house, Chanyeol heading to the kitchen to start the fire and Baekhyun walking after him.

“We need to talk,” he says, standing in the doorway as Chanyeol bustles around, selecting small pieces of timber to put over the coals to begin feeding the fire slowly. They’ve done this many a time, camping out in the woods by their house or preparing a fire at the shore to cook fish. It comes in handy now, with the ancient stove they have in the kitchen.

Chanyeol glances at him, and sighs. “Look, I know. I know I shouldn’t have said what I said, but I just- what else was I fucking supposed to do? And honestly, the way I see it, killing the damn thing is gonna be our only way out. We can’t run from it, we can’t fool it, and we can’t fly out of this fucking place, so you do the math.”

Baekhyun doesn’t want to fight, not really, but Chanyeol is getting heated regardless. “I mean, yeah, I guess,” he replies, staring at the flames now emerging from the embers. “I just can’t see how we’re gonna do it. How are we gonna kill the damn thing?”

Chanyeol shrugs, chucking more sticks into the fire. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. We’re just gonna do it anyway.” He picks up a pot for boiling water, gently placing it closer to the fire, and Baekhyun starts moving through the kitchen, picking up items to prepare their dinner. There really isn’t much choice, however; it’s just going to be the same thing they’ve been eating this entire time. “We gotta have something on that ship that we can use.”

“I don’t know that we have anything so massive that it’s gonna even scare that bastard,” Baekhyun mutters. “It’s gonna get us killed, that’s what’s gonna happen. We don’t have any suitable gear for this suicide mission, and we’re gonna be eaten up, just like that.”

He’s raising his voice now as well, but he tries to be mindful of everyone who might be eavesdropping. Chanyeol isn’t at all happy with him voicing his doubts, however.

“So would you rather just sit here and do nothing? Do you really want to stay here until we both die? Because I’m not gonna do that. With or without you, I’m going to try and get out of here.” He seems taken aback by the harshness of his last words even himself, and softens his tone. “Listen, Baekhyun-ah. We can’t stay here, it’ll drive us mad. Sure we could wait for a search party to find us, but no one has saved these people even up until now. We’re on our own. Killing that thing is the only way, even if it’s scary.”

A part of Baekhyun agrees with that. There’s no way they could stay, and it sounds like the villagers have already tried everything else aside from killing the leviathan. It just feels unnatural to run straight back towards the danger that they barely escaped from the day before.

“I wish I could see what the next step is. That we actually had a plan.” He sits down beside Chanyeol, leaning his head on his shoulder tiredly. There’s no point in being angry at one another.

“The next step is getting the boat out of the water, and fixing it. We can worry about the rest after,” Chanyeol promises him, and however naïve and overly simplistic that may have been, it’s still quite true.

Baekhyun still wishes they could see further into the future and what it holds.


	2. Chapter 2

Teacher Choe and a few other men from the village come with them the next day to the shore, just how they promised in the meeting. They move briskly along the path in the dense woods, walking so quickly that Baekhyun and Chanyeol really struggle to keep up with the pace. Junmyeon is there too, trailing behind them, last person in the group, quietly ushering them along faster when they start to fall behind. All their attempts at making any sort of small talk with the villagers are met with mostly silence- teacher Choe and Junmyeon are the only ones who react at all, the rest of them acting almost as if they can’t hear them. They hardly speak to one another anyway, so the journey is made in near complete silence.

It feels oppressive, the silence, the tall trees around them. Like something is wrong- like they’re headed to a destination far more sinister than the beach. 

When they emerge from the woods, the first thing that Baekhyun sees is the fog, once more. It appears no different from when they first arrived here, if not even thicker than before, like you could take a knife and cut a slice out of it, like he’s seen in some cartoons. But also seeing the water and the wreck of their ship makes his stomach turn uncomfortably.

It’s hard enough to approach the water, knowing that danger is lurking right beneath the surface, even if the rational side of him knows that the shallows should keep the beast away. But just the knowledge that it’s there, biding its time, waiting for even one of them to come too close, it creeps him out. He hasn’t forgotten any of the terror they went through, the fear of having to face death head on so suddenly. It’s an experience hard to push aside.

Seeing their boat like this isn’t easy either. When they first crashed here, they were far too rattled to pay proper attention to detail, but now, they can fully see the damages, even when it’s still half underwater, lying on its starboard side in the sand. It’s even more upsetting- to realize how close to death they actually came.

The hull is dented in several places, as is the stern, to the point where it seems miraculous that they didn’t simply just sink. The windows on the small steering cabin are broken, the deck empty as most of their gear got washed away when they capsized. Seeing all this damage on the outside makes Baekhyun fearful of getting a closer look of the insides, which is going to reveal the full extent of it. If it doesn’t hold water, if the engine doesn’t run, they’ll be done for.

Chanyeol can’t even come up to the waterline, standing there like a lone lighthouse. Baekhyun is only a little braver than him, wading into the water enough to get his feet wet, circling around the ship slowly as he tries to take note of it all. The villagers stand there watching, silently, waiting for something. Some kind of cue.

“Well, how does it look? Is it salvageable?” teacher Choe is the first one to speak once Baekhyun has taken a look at all sides visible. “What do you say, young sailor?”

Baekhyun has never done anything like this before; such an extensive repair with very little tools and materials. He has no idea what the villagers might have that could be useful, what they might have underneath the deck that didn’t get washed away- but he can feel all their eyes on him, waiting for an answer.

He knows what they want to hear. What Chanyeol wants to hear.

Besides, they’ve already started a habit of making baseless promises.

“I think we can save it, yeah,” he says, shrugging his shoulders. He doesn’t look at any of the villagers, only glancing at Chanyeol. Waves lick at his feet, brush against his ankles. “Especially if you have any tools you could lend us.”

Teacher Choe nods gravely. “We have some, indeed,” he replies. “So which way do you want it? On its side, or upright?”

Chanyeol clears his throat, and finally speaks. “Upright would be best,” he gestures at the boat. “If we can find a way to prop it up. I don’t think it’ll stand on its own on the sand.”

Baekhyun is grateful for him taking some level of leadership in this. Teacher Choe nods once more, then mutters something quietly to the men loitering around him who jump into action straight away. They walk quickly along the shore to a rockier spot, where they select big rocks that they either carry or roll towards the boat. And they’re massive rocks, too- Baekhyun could never dream of picking up one of them, or even pushing them around like that, with such ease. Him and Chanyeol don’t even get a chance to help, before they’ve already brought maybe a dozen stones back to the boat.

They’re just as quick about getting the ship out of the water. They work quickly and efficiently, exchanging only a few words as they all get into position. The boat is pushed upright like it weighs nothing, most of the men pushing it from one side as some make sure that it doesn’t tilt right over on the other side. They then push it on the sand, seemingly with little difficulty, until it’s well out of the water even on a high tide. The rocks are then used to support it from either side, to stop it from toppling over.

Baekhyun is absolutely astonished by this feat. Having had to maneuver boats around on dry land before, he knows just how difficult it is. Chanyeol appears equally as shocked by this, his jaw dropped and eyes wide, almost comically so.

“Man, you guys are no strangers to physical work, are you?” he says, grinning a little bit, but none of the men seem too appreciative of his commentary, hardly even acknowledging that he’s said anything at all. Teacher Choe only gives them a tight smile in response.

“So, let us get back to the village, so you can retrieve some tools and get to work. Do you want anyone to help you with this, or are you fine to do it by yourselves?”

Baekhyun doesn’t even have to think about his answer. “We’ll be fine by ourselves,” he hurries to say, reaching over for Chanyeol’s wrist, giving it a squeeze. “We don’t want to inconvenience you any further. Uh, we’ll let you know if we need a hand.”

Teacher Choe nods once more, and then turns to the men, telling them they’re free to go. In an instant, they all start towards the path, the forest, marching away even quicker than they did before. They disappear among the trees just like that, like ghosts, hardly making any sound at all as they go. Teacher Choe gives a curt nod and an awkward wave of his hand, before following suit, apparently in a hurry to get away as well.

Only Junmyeon lingers behind, hovering near as Baekhyun and Chanyeol also begin the journey back to the village. “I could show you where to find the tools,” he says with great excitement, his dark eyes darting back and forth, his upper teeth revealed as he smiles, his tongue poking out as if testing the points of his canine teeth. Somehow, it reminds Baekhyun of an animal- an animal on a hunt, with sharp senses and even sharper fangs. It’s a disturbing image, but it sticks, despite the man’s otherwise harmless appearance.

“Thanks,” Chanyeol says, wrapping his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders. The atmosphere is much nicer now, with the men gone; they’re more used to Junmyeon and his presence, and at least he knows how to make small talk. “I think we should grab the tools and whatnot, have a quick lunch, and then come back to at least take a closer look at the boat.”

Baekhyun nods, and slips his arm around Chanyeol’s waist. Junmyeon seems to watch this keenly, although he doesn’t comment on it. For a while, they just walk in silence. No birds are singing, no animals are scuttling along the forest floor, only the wind makes noise as it dances through the pine trees.

But then, Baekhyun remembers something. “Junmyeon… There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.” He turns to properly look at him, even though he already knows how little emotion his facial expressions give away. “You’ve clearly been stuck here for a very long time, for many generations… How come no one has ever found and rescued you before?”

He hadn’t thought about it, until Chanyeol mentioned it last night. But it is indeed strange- the island isn’t so far out in the high seas that no one would ever run into it. Just like them, someone must have stumbled upon it. The Yellow sea is a busy one, too, so it would stand to reason that someone would have sailed by, someone who they could have alerted and received help from.

For the first time, there’s genuine surprise on Junmyeon’s face. “The leviathan,” he replies, brows furrowed. “It sinks every ship that comes close. We cannot get out, no one can come here. Well, you did, but you’re only alive by sheer luck.”

“Yeah, but they don’t have to come close to see you,” Baekhyun argues. “You could at least wave at them to get their attention. There has to be a ship too big for the leviathan to sink.”

Junmyeon seems even more puzzled than before. “I don’t think anyone can see us,” he says slowly, gesturing behind them where the shore has long since disappeared behind the trees. “You know, with the fog.”

“There can’t be fog all the time, though,” Chanyeol chimes in. “I’m pretty sure ships must sail by your island like every single day.”

“There is always fog,” Junmyeon replies, his voice growing quieter. The look in his eyes turns darker, and it sends chills down Baekhyun’s spine. What for, he doesn’t quite know. “We’re just really unlucky with the weather, I suppose.”

Chanyeol opens his mouth to speak, to ask more questions, but Baekhyun squeezes his hip tightly, digging his nails in to warn him against it. Whatever Junmyeon’s answer means, clearly he doesn’t want to talk about it- even if it is very peculiar. How could there always be fog surrounding the island? There’s no way. Yet so far, they haven’t seen any evidence to the contrary.

No one says a word for the rest of the journey, as they hike back to the village. Junmyeon shows them a shed right at the edge of it, where they keep all of their tools- some so modern and obviously machine made, that they must have either washed up on the shore, or they belonged to other unfortunate sailors who got stranded here, just like them. The implications make Baekhyun feel sick to his stomach, but he says nothing of it, instead selecting hammers, screws, pieces of scrap metal to use for their own vessel to make her seaworthy again.

Junmyeon watches them from the doorway, fidgeting slightly. Baekhyun tries to ignore it because these people do all sorts of weird things, but when they’re ready to leave, he still won’t budge from where he’s practically blocking the exit.

“You’ll work on the ship for the rest of the afternoon, right?” He’s speaking much faster than usual, his voice hushed. He’s grasping both sides of the doorway, shoulders high, legs slightly spread- as though bracing against an attack. If he wasn’t so small, it might appear more convincing, although there’s something rather threatening about it as is.

“Yeah, that was the plan,” Chanyeol says, obviously astonished by this whole thing. His arms are full of things he picked up, to the point where Baekhyun wonders how they’ll manage the trek back. “Why are you asking?”

Junmyeon licks his lips, licks across his teeth, his eyes darting back and forth between them. He thinks over his following words carefully, that much is obvious.

“It would be good if you came back before the sun sets,” he says slowly. “It would be best if you were already inside when it gets dark.”

Baekhyun glances over at Chanyeol. “Well, yeah, since we don’t have anything to light the way back,” he replies hesitantly. “We would probably get lost in the dark woods.”

Junmyeon shakes his head quickly, a strand of hair coming loose from his topknot. “That’s not it,” he says, tone more insistent, urgent, but then bites his lip as though to physically hold himself back. He takes a deep breath, before he continues. “It’s not good to be outside, when it gets dark. Get inside, before the sunset.”

With that, he lets go of the doorframe, and spins around, walking away from them quickly. “The fuck was that,” Chanyeol huffs, bumping against Baekhyun lightly to nudge him back into movement, out of the shed. “What the hell got into him?”

“I don’t know, he’s so weird.” Baekhyun feel uneasy about the whole thing, however. There was something about how Junmyeon struggled to say what he did, how torn he seemed. “I mean- shit, they’re all weird.”

Chanyeol laughs, but it’s hollow. “You can say that again,” he muses.

They don’t spend long on lunch- they’re both already getting sick of eating the same thing, and feel the urge to get to work as soon as possible. They keep silent as they pass through the village, keep their heads down as people pause in their chores to stare at them. It’s such a relief when the buildings vanish behind them, amidst the trees. It should be more unnerving to be surrounded by nothing but the forest, but somehow it’s the village that is more off-putting.

“Do you think… Do you think he was trying to warn us about something?” Chanyeol asks, once they’re completely out of earshot from the village. It’s an unspoken understanding between them, to keep these conversations private. To avoid having anyone overhear them.

For two loud people, it’s unnatural, but somehow it only seems smart, in their current circumstance.

“I thought about it too,” Baekhyun has to admit. “It wasn’t easy for him to say that, or at least that’s how it looked like. I just don’t get it. There’s nothing in this forest.”

Chanyeol takes a look around, as though the ancient pines would somehow suddenly reveal the dangers they’re hiding. But the forest, it’s void of any life- and as such, it’s hard to believe there could be anything there to harm them.

“Well, whatever he meant,” he says, attempting to shrug but the heavy load he’s carrying prevents him from doing so, “I know for a fucking fact that I don’t wanna be here when it gets dark. With no lights and shit? No thanks.”

Baekhyun laughs with him, and easily agrees. They’re both used to the sea, to beaches- forests, they’re new, they’re strange, and this kind of darkness, lacking the constant presence of electric lights, it’s uncomfortable.

*****

But despite Junmyeon’s odd advice, they forget to watch the sky. When they’re out fishing, it’s not the sun that dictates when the day is over- that’s what their lights are for, to keep working even in the dark, because when there are quotas to be met, they work around the clock. They’re also both night owls, often staying up late on their days off, doing whatever they please, waking up tired the next day yet falling for the temptation of staying up late again in the evening. So it isn’t until they get increasingly hungry that they think about the time- about the steadily setting sun.

“Shit,” Chanyeol curses, jumping down from the deck to get to the ground. “It’s that fucking fog, you know. It confuses the shit out of me, because nothing looks like it should! The light’s all weird like that, it gets dispersed funny.”

That is true. As the light travels through the fog, it gets distorted, and it spreads, surrounds them in a weird glow, almost as though it’s coming from all directions at once. But there’s no denying it, the sun is getting really low, and given how long the trek back is, it’s going to vanish below the horizon before they make it back to the village.

Baekhyun jumps down as well, automatically glancing at the sea. They haven’t seen a single sign of the leviathan all day, as they’ve been working, but it’s still at the back of his mind at all times. That they’re probably being watched, stalked like helpless prey.

Chanyeol offers him his hand, and Baekhyun slots their fingers together, squeezes Chanyeol’s bigger hand tightly in his. The simple gesture brings him so much comfort. He didn’t need to test their relationship in this manner, not at all, but deep down, he’s grateful that he can rely on Chanyeol like this; they’ve known each other for a long time, since they were kids, and having worked together for years now has helped them build a steady, stable bond, one that will get them through anything. Even a shipwreck, apparently.

“Let’s go. We still could make it.”

They try to set a similar pace to what the village men kept up, when they first came here in the morning, but by now, they’re exhausted. They’ve made this trip three times today, already, their bodies still recovering from the near-death experience they went through. They’re stumbling on their feet and the exposed roots of the trees, slowing down despite their best efforts to walk as fast as they can. Baekhyun’s heart is racing, bounding in his chest, and not just from physical extortion alone- the forest is as silent as always, seemingly so calm and benign, but now with the light waning so quickly, the shadows growing longer, his sense of safety is diminishing just as fast.

It’s not long before they’re jogging, the paranoia catching up to both of them, like a hound running behind them, nipping at their heels. Through their rugged breathing and heavy footsteps, it’s near impossible to hear if something might be approaching, moving through the woods, and Baekhyun is too frightened now to even look around; he doesn’t know what he might see, but he’s scared of it nonetheless.

This is like being in the water again, without protection, without anything to defend themselves with. Completely at the mercy of whatever is coming at them, preying on them. The same terror, the same hopelessness, it brings the taste of iron to the back of Baekhyun’s throat, makes his hands shake though he tries to ignore it, has to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, keeping up the rhythm or else he’ll fall down. Chanyeol’s hand in his gives him some support, some guidance, even if on the narrow path running side by side isn’t the easiest way to do this.

“It’s gonna get dark before we get there,” Chanyeol says, panting, turning his head from side to side as he scans their surroundings. “We’re not gonna make it.”

They’re more than half way there, but Baekhyun knows Chanyeol’s right. They left too late, can’t run fast enough, even fueled by fear like this.

“Do you think we should like, climb a tree or something? Sit there and wait it out?” He knows it’s a stupid idea even as he says it, and Chanyeol even manages a short, breathy chuckle.

“No, I say we just keep running until we get there, no matter what happens,” he huffs out, and as Baekhyun stumbles, uses his grip on his hand to catch his fall and bring him up again.

He’s right. It’s not clear what Junmyeon was warning them about, but right now, the threat seems all too real, even if it’s only an ominous feeling that something bad is going to happen. And if, and when, there’s something out there- it could know how to climb a tree, as well. The village is the only safe place that they know of.

So despite how much their legs hurt, how much their lungs burn, how tired they both are, they keep running, their fear spurring them on.

But the sun still beats them to it, and out there, somewhere, it dips below the horizon, and disappears. They go from twilight to darkness slowly, a cruel countdown that won’t stop, deceitful in how it tricks the eye to adjust, to make them think it’s not completely dark yet. Until the eye doesn’t adjust anymore- until most they can see are their own feet, if even that.

And then, they both hear something. Movement- a branch snapping here, a quiet shout over there, the sound so strange that it’s impossible to say if it was an animal or a human being. Baekhyun can barely breathe, his body so tense, so exhausted, so strained as he tries to prepare for an attack, to defend himself, to run even faster although his strength has been almost completely depleted by now.

He was too scared to look around earlier, and now, there’s no point, for the forest around them is pitch black. He wouldn’t see the danger even if it was standing two meters away from him, a thought that frightens him so much he’d scream if he had the lung capacity to do so.

Partially, he’s tempted to just stop moving, stop making noise, and find a place to hide. Wait, until the sun rises once more- but his feet won’t stop moving, his survival instincts too strong to let him essentially give up.

“There’s something there,” Chanyeol forces out in between harsh breaths. “To our right, behind us- there’s something there. Keep running, keep running, don’t fucking stop for anything.”

Baekhyun is sure his heart is going to give out at any moment now. It’s too much- running and running through the disorienting darkness, something unknown chasing them, stalking them, possibly poised for an attack.

When a sudden light appears at the turn of the path, he does scream, so scared out of his mind that anything and everything startles him. But then, he recognizes what he’s looking at; it’s Junmyeon, holding a lantern up high, running towards them with something akin to worry etched onto his features, yet his upper teeth are bared, his eyes wild like the ocean waves.

“Come on, quickly now,” he yells at them, not letting them stop, not allowing them a break, as he changes directions to lead them back to where he came from. “Only a little bit, and then we’ve reached the village. Just a little bit!”

Baekhyun is only breathing in shallow wheezes now, and he can hear Chanyeol doing the same beside him. But the light, it does wonders, as well as the presence of someone at least a little familiar. It’s almost funny- Junmyeon is so small, so short and almost petite for a man, so innocent, yet he makes Baekhyun feel safer anyway, even though the only thing he seems to have brought with him is the lantern.

But he is right about something- they soon step into the village grounds, out of the woods, although Junmyeon doesn’t slow down until they’ve passed the first line of houses. Even then, he keeps up a brisk pace, ushering them along like tired cattle, now walking behind them to make sure they can’t fall behind.

“I told you to come back before the dark,” he mutters, although Baekhyun nearly misses his words, his own breathing too loud in his ears. “I told you, loud and clear. But here we are. You didn’t do what you said you would.”

Neither Baekhyun or Chanyeol can muster the strength to answer him. They get to the house they’re staying at, and collapse through the doorway, falling down on the floor. It’s hard to breathe and Baekhyun can’t remember a time when his legs would have been shaking so badly, from both sheer exhaustion and paralyzing fear. He lies down on his back, trying to catch his breath, Chanyeol doing the same beside him.

Junmyeon walks around the house, muttering to himself, clearly upset with them even as he goes about starting the fire and preparing food for them. Slowly, little by little, as the floor begins to heat up and their hearts stop pounding so rapidly, the fear dissipates, leaving behind only sheer exhaustion.

When Baekhyun makes to sit up, Chanyeol sits up as well, and pulls him into a fierce hug, holding onto him tightly, his grip almost uncomfortable- but Baekhyun would never complain, and just leans into it, fitting his chin on Chanyeol’s broad shoulder, sliding his arms around his chest to return the tight squeeze. And suddenly, he feels how Chanyeol begins to choke up, shivers going through him as though he’s freezing, his breaths coming in hiccups as he tries to fight back his sobs.

“Oh, Yeol-ah…” Baekhyun brings his hand up to stroke Chanyeol’s hair, who folds in on himself even more, his tears wetting Baekhyun’s clothes slowly as he cries. It makes Baekhyun want to cry as well, but he fights it back, pushes it down, for who would keep them together if he crumbled right now?

But there’s nothing he can say. Usually, he’s good at cheering Chanyeol up, but in this situation… There’s nothing uplifting he could say that wouldn’t be at least half false, and Chanyeol would know that, too.

Junmyeon steps into the room, and halts at the doorway, staring at them, head cocked to the side, eyes wide. Baekhyun averts his eyes but Junmyeon remains still, like a statue, just ogling at them. He would snap at him, but it doesn’t seem like Chanyeol is aware of him standing there, so he doesn’t feel the need to protect him quite so fiercely.

“What is he doing? Why are his eyes and nose… leaking?”

The question startles Baekhyun enough to make him lift his head up, though Chanyeol stays hunched over in his arms. Baekhyun searches Junmyeon’s face for any sign of insincerity, or perhaps mischief- perhaps, this is his misplaced attempt at lifting everyone’s mood, by cracking awkward jokes. But there are none. Junmyeon’s eyes are dark like the night behind their windows, his mouth in a small ‘o’ as he watches them, his upper body leaned forward. He asked it so reverently, too, like he was worried he might scare them away.

“He’s… He’s crying,” Baekhyun struggles to even form that sentence. “He’s… It’s what people do. It’s- Have you really never seen it happen?”

“Never,” Junmyeon says, still earnest, finally breaking out of his trance, going to set the pot down on the table. More barley rice, more fish. Chanyeol hiccups quietly, and lifts up a hand to wipe at his eyes, his nose, where he’s been _leaking_.

There’s so much to unpack in Junmyeon’s statement, and Baekhyun really, really doesn’t have the mental capacity for it. Whatever it might mean, he just can’t try and make sense of it now. Not after the day he’s just had.

“It’s what people do when they’re sad, or angry, or when they’ve been through something horrible,” he offers in a way of explanation, and when Chanyeol finally pulls away from him, they both move to the table to eat. Chanyeol is still sniffling, avoiding eye contact with Junmyeon who in turn can’t look away from his blotchy, swollen face.

“That is so strange,” he murmurs to himself, before he snaps out of it to put food on their plates. “But never, ever do that again. Do not forget to keep an eye on the sun. You almost didn’t make it.”

“We’ll never forget it again,” Baekhyun promises, and he knows this to be true. Chanyeol nods quietly beside him. After what they just went through, they’ll never make the same mistake. “Junmyeon… there’s definitely something out there. What is it, though? We’ve never seen or heard anything in the forest during the day…”

“It’s better if you don’t know,” Junmyeon is quick to say, something hard gleaming in his eyes once again. “It’s enough to know that it’s not safe. I can’t always be there to save you, so you need to be careful.”

All Baekhyun and Chanyeol can manage is feeble nods in response.

*****

For the next couple of days, it’s rinse and repeat. They have their work cut out for them, in straightening out the dents in the ship wherever the leviathan bumped or hit against it, and in checking for holes, cracks, leaks that could sink their ship. Every once in a while, they try to fiddle with the radio, but it refuses to work- they fear that the salt water could have hurt the electricals, damaged them for good, yet at the same time they know how sturdily these things get made. They weren’t submerged for that long, and it seems unlikely that it would completely destroy the radio like this.

“Maybe it just needs to dry out,” Chanyeol thinks out loud after yet another failed attempt at getting it to work. “Try and screw the top open or something. We need to make sure there’s no more water in there, before we try anything else drastic with it.”

Baekhyun gets to work, although there’s a nagging feeling at the pit of his stomach. It’s not in his nature to be so pessimistic, but he worries. It would make things much easier if the radio worked, if they managed to contact a ship or the coast guard, even, but that would just be too lucky and luck hasn’t been on their side at all in this.

He lifts up his gaze, and all he sees is the fog, and the small strip of water. It makes him more and more claustrophobic, the longer he has to look at it. Nothing about it has changed since they got here. And of course, it makes sense; if the fog did let up, the islanders would have surely attracted the attention of someone sailing by, and gotten rescued.

With the leviathan in the water, and the fog in the air, they’re completely surrounded. Somehow, it seems only appropriate that the radio would stop working here too, although Baekhyun has no idea what kind of phenomenon could do that.

They’re both a little less paranoid about the sea monster. There’s been no sign of it so far, and although neither of them is willing to go near the water, they at least don’t feel the constant need to watch out for it. But they will never forget it, and they will never forget to be cautious of the sun as well.

It would be nice if they didn’t have to learn these lessons the hard way, but at least it’s effective.

They spend the entire day working on the boat, as has become routine already. They’ve made a habit of bringing their lunch to the beach with them, along with some water, because making the journey back to the village is just a waste of time, waste of daylight since working in the dark isn’t an option. Baekhyun also much prefers being away from the village- there’s just something about it, about the people there, that makes him uneasy.

They still have maybe an hour left, before they have to head back, but both of them have tired of banging the metal hull with hammers to smooth it out again. It’s especially grueling because they have to work under the deck, where there isn’t that much space; it’s only a small ship, and neither of them can stand up straight below the deck. Kneeling or crouching down all day is really getting to them both.

“I’ll make some tea for us,” Chanyeol mumbles, moving on all fours to get to the stairs and out of the cramped space. “Let’s call it a day, I’m beat.”

Baekhyun doesn’t need to be told twice, and he chucks his hammer away, following Chanyeol out of the boat and to the edge of the beach, where they’ve established their little campfire spot, a ring in the sand made of mismatched rocks. Baekhyun plops down in the sand while Chanyeol starts the fire.

Once the flames are alive and they have a small pot set up to boil water in, Chanyeol sits down beside him, wrapping his arm around his shoulders to pull him close, to kiss his temple. “You stink,” he teasingly says, making a face at Baekhyun. “The rectangular thing they gave us, you know, the white one? It’s a bar of soap, please use it.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Baekhyun laughs, shoving Chanyeol playfully so he falls over into the sand, true to his overly dramatic nature. “You think that you don’t smell bad? Because I’ve got news for you, dickhead.”

Chanyeol puts on an affronted face, although it’s obvious that he doesn’t mean it. “At least I bathed yesterday, and washed my face and armpits this morning, but you fucking didn’t. I’m making an effort to appeal to you, you know, while you’re doing fuck all. There’s a difference there.”

Baekhyun snorts. “Appeal to me?” he chortles, endlessly amused. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to seduce me already- I’m sorry that we haven’t been fucking like rabbits, but I’ve been just a little preoccupied with stuff like, I dunno, our survival.”

Chanyeol looks a little sheepish, which is all that Baekhyun needs to see. “You’re actually having blue balls? Park, what the fuck. We’re out here, stuck on some batshit crazy island, and you still want to get your dick wet?”

It’s his turn to get shoved down. “I’m not actively thinking about it,” Chanyeol huffs, swatting at him for good measure. “But, you know. Seeing you naked and stuff does things to me, I can’t help it. Isn’t it a good sign, that even in a situation like this I have a healthy sexual appetite?”

Baekhyun makes to sit up again, but Chanyeol pushes him back down. “Besides, I was joking when I said that about bathing,” he grumbles, and now Baekhyun knows he’s being sincere again. “I’m not like actually thinking about shit like that.” He pauses for a brief moment. “But you know, I do still find you really attractive. Even on this fucking island.”

Since Chanyeol won’t let him up, Baekhyun grabs his arm and pulls him down instead, and holds him there so he can’t escape from him. “I know,” he tells him as seriously as he can when he’s also so, so amused. “I was only teasing you back, trust me. And like, I get it, Yeol-ah. I look at you and even in those clothes, you look hot. I wake up next to you in the morning and you’re still asleep but your lips are parted and I’m like shit, that mouth would look so good on my dick, you know? Maybe it’s a little sick but you’re the only thing here that makes any sense at all. Sex is just one part of what makes you… familiar, I guess.”

Chanyeol chooses to kiss him first, before he says anything. He cups his cheek delicately, and kisses him tenderly, carefully, only stopping when he feels Baekhyun relax into it properly. “You’re the only thing that keeps me sane,” he whispers when he finally pulls back, gazing into Baekhyun’s eyes. His expressive eyes, his honest mouth, Baekhyun would have never thought that he’d be so grateful, so appreciative of them, but surrounded by these weird people, Chanyeol’s… _humanity_ is so, so comforting.

“Ditto,” Baekhyun tells him, and leans up to peck him on the lips once. “If I was alone out here, if I had to do this all by myself… I think I would just walk straight into that ocean, and not even bother.”

“Don’t say that,” Chanyeol murmurs with a shake of his head, kissing him once more. “Don’t say stuff like that. You’re not a quitter, Baekhyun-ah. Don’t even joke about that shit.”  
Baekhyun can only nod in response. He feels sorry to have upset Chanyeol, but chooses not to say anything. He understands what he really meant, he knows it.

Chanyeol lowers his weight on top of Baekhyun slowly, their tea suddenly forgotten as they give into the moment, give into each other, kissing and holding one another. It’s such a weird moment, shared between them, in a situation like this- but it’s comforting, like laying down in your own bed after a long, arduous journey. They’ve known one another since they were children, and they have been dating since they were teens; there’s nothing in this world they know better than each other. Chanyeol’s arms, they’re Baekhyun’s anchor, and his mouth, his kisses console him better than any words ever could.

Chanyeol whimpers into the kiss, sighing deep from within. He feels the same, Baekhyun knows it, and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do or give to make his boyfriend feel better. Especially like this, when everything seems so bleak and foreign, with no easy way out.

Yet it’s not him who makes the first move to take it further. Chanyeol has always been more impatient, and it stands true even in this scenario. He leans in closer to deepen the kiss, and his hand begins to slide down along Baekhyun’s body. They’re both wearing their own clothes, just for the ease of movement while working, and it grants him access to Baekhyun’s bare skin that would have been hindered by the Joseon era clothing; his hand sliding underneath Baekhyun’s shirt so swiftly, caressing his stomach and reaching all the way up to his chest, brushing against his nipple.

“Tease,” Baekhyun murmurs against his lips, and Chanyeol laughs, shifting his weight so one of his thighs is in between Baekhyun’s.

“Someone’s impatient,” Chanyeol retorts, but even though he’s trying to give Baekhyun a hard time, he still relents quickly, moving his hand down and towards the fly of Baekhyun’s pants, towards his crotch. A jolt of excitement travels through him, anticipating how good it’ll feel to have Chanyeol touch him, what they could possibly do on this sandy beach without lube, but then-

The forest is always so silent that even the faintest of noises carries, and a branch breaking combined with a loud gasp is more than enough to catch their attention. They both look up instinctively, towards the line of trees not far from them, and there, in the shrubbery that emerges from the rocks and sand, a speck of blue and white- and then a face. Someone is looking at them, watching them, clearly not wishing to be caught but revealed by the traitorous plant he was hiding in.

All three just hold still, staring at one another, the situation so baffling that none of them know how to react. But then, as Chanyeol goes to sit up properly, the person quickly springs up to his feet and makes a dash for the forest, running much how Baekhyun and Chanyeol did when the daylight was betraying them.

“Junmyeon?” Chanyeol’s voice is full of confusion, and Baekhyun struggles to sit up as well. But the figure has already disappeared from sight- he must have been running at full speed, to have vanished so quickly.

“You think it was him? I didn’t get a good look at him.”

Chanyeol nods. “I’m one hundred percent sure,” he swears, still staring at the direction Junmyeon ran towards. “He’s the only one who wears a jeoggori in that color- it had to be him. Besides, who else around here would care enough to spy on us like that?”

“Just about anyone,” Baekhyun counters. “To find out how the boat is coming along. But I believe you- it makes sense, sort of. Maybe.”

Chanyeol chortles, wiping off the sand on Baekhyun’s back quickly. “He’s such a fucking weirdo. I wonder how long he must have been there for, just watching us like that, like a fucking creep. I guess it would have been impossible to hear or see him from the boat.”

Their tea water is about to boil over, and Baekhyun moves to pull the pot out of the embers and add the tea leaves. “We probably gave him the shock of a lifetime,” he muses out loud, amused but conflicted thinking back to the brief glimpse he caught of his face. “Like what are the odds he’s ever seen two guys getting it on like that?”

“Two very handsome guys,” Chanyeol adds, and the only appropriate reaction Baekhyun can think of is to kick sand on him for it. But then, he grows serious.

“You don’t think that he’s gonna, you know… Tell on us?” Baekhyun pokes a spoon into the pot, to stir the water a little. His other hand comes up, his teeth pressing into the soft flesh of his forefinger, as he’s often prone to do when stressed or worried. “I mean… Are these people going to flip their shit if they find out about us?”

Chanyeol purses his lips, and shuffles over to him. He takes his time with his answer, instead using a piece of wood to separate the embers and still burning wood to make the fire go out faster. “I don’t know,” he finally admits. His posture is relaxed, but his brows are furrowed. “I guess… I guess they’re not gonna be happy about it, if they find out. People in the old times…”

“Yeah.” Baekhyun wishes they had thought about it a little more. They’re used to being out, in their little hometown; their families had seen it coming long before they did, and had enough time to get used to the idea. Even if some people certainly didn’t approve of it, they had little reason to care, since their jobs, homes, or safety didn’t depend on that. But here, which they should have realized, things might be different.

And right now, everything depends on the villagers. Even if it wouldn’t serve them at all to turn hostile towards Baekhyun and Chanyeol now- they could, if they wanted to.

“We should talk to him when we see him next, if it isn’t too late.”

It’s all they can do at this point, anyway.

*****

They’re finishing up their dinner when someone suddenly knocks on the door. It’s not the usual quick, light taps against the door, but a heavier fist connecting with the wood instead. Baekhyun and Chanyeol exchange glances but don’t dare to voice their thoughts. Not that they have to, when they both feel the same sense of imminent dread.

Junmyeon must have tattled to someone already.

Chanyeol gets up and opens the door. Much to their surprise, both already fearing the worst, it’s only teacher Choe, all by himself, not even a lantern in his hand to keep him company.

“You work from dusk till dawn,” he comments as he crosses the threshold and enters the room. Baekhyun scampers up on his feet to bow to him formally, before they all sit down by the table. “You’re very hard workers. That is very good.”

“We’re used to manual labor,” Chanyeol replies, tone clipped, posture withdrawn, angled towards Baekhyun. “With fishing and stuff.”

Teacher Choe nods sagely. “Your families must miss such diligent workers,” he comments. “You seem like filial sons, both of you. Are you the eldest sons?”

Baekhyun feels slightly sick. This sudden talk about filial piety, he can see where this is headed. Mentally, he prepares to lie- he’s not very good at it, but it’s their only hope. After all, it was only Junmyeon who saw them. Maybe, just maybe, teacher Choe will be willing to listen. It’s a good sign that he came alone, rather than with a crowd armed with pitchforks.

“I’m not, but Chanyeol is,” he says, feigning a pleasant smile. “But you’re right, our families probably miss us very much. The sooner we can go home, the better.”

Chanyeol makes a quiet noise of affirmation, and teacher Choe nods once again. “No wonder you’re working so hard, then, to fix your boat. We should send you home as soon as possible, they will definitely feel your absence already. That is what I came here to talk about.”

Baekhyun steels him for what the old man will say next. He’ll just have to say the lie instantly, so Chanyeol doesn’t mess it up by admitting to it. Though usually neither of them have any desire to stay in the closet, this time around, it just might save their lives. He hopes that his boyfriend understands that as well.

Teacher Choe looks at them both serenely, lips parted and wet. “Many have approached me to ask me how much progress you’ve made already. They’re curious, as you must understand. This is quite an exciting time for us all. I understand that fixing your boat must be very difficult with these limited supplies, but I wish to know how much you have achieved so far?”

That Baekhyun was not at all ready for, and he can only stare at him, mouth open, eyes wide. Chanyeol is more alert this time, rushing to explain everything that they’ve done with the ship thus far.

“So like, the hull is almost done,” he completes his explanation. “The electrical, that’s a little trickier. Some of it works, some of it doesn’t. The radio is dead but we’re gonna fiddle with it more and see if can be whipped back into shape.”

It’s impossible to judge from teacher Choe’s face if he understood anything that he just said, but at least he doesn’t ask about any of it. “In that case, how long do you think it’ll take? A few more days? A week?”

Chanyeol and Baekhyun both look at each other, hesitant to give an answer in case it’s taken as a promise when it can’t be that. “Well, a safe bet would be like a couple days more,” Baekhyun finally chooses to say. “Even if the radio doesn’t work, we can still sail. We’re almost done.”

“Good.” Teacher Choe is always so serious. “That’s what I wanted to hear. What we all wanted to hear. My apologies if we are a little impatient. You would think that after being trapped here for so long we could manage to wait a little longer, but somehow… the closer our freedom becomes, the more we yearn for it, and the harder it is to just sit patiently.”

“Yeah, we get that,” Baekhyun says, complete with a fake, nervous laugh. Teacher Choe doesn’t seem to pick up on this. “We’re doing what we can. I promise.”

“I know that.” Teacher Choe’s smile does little to calm Baekhyun’s nerves. “In the meantime, do not fret. You are our honored guests. We will keep providing you with food and everything else you might need. Just turn to me if there is anything you’re lacking. Has everything been alright so far? Do you need anything?”

Somehow, although clearly meant as a hospitable offering, there’s a dark undertone to his words, although Baekhyun can’t quite put his finger on it. “We’re good,” him and Chanyeol rush to assure him. “We’re all set, thank you. Thank you so much.”

The old man seems so, so terribly pleased. “Well, I best get going, then,” he concludes, “so you can get the rest you undoubtedly need. Once your ship is finished, we can start discussing how you’ll kill the leviathan. You will need all your wit and all your strength to do it, and we want to make sure you succeed. But that’s a bridge we’ll cross when we come to it. Good night.”

As he stands up, Baekhyun and Chanyeol do the same just to show respect, bowing full ninety degrees as the old man walks out and closes the door behind him. They stay silent, listening to his footsteps on the path as he walks back to where he came from.

Only once he’s fully out of earshot, they can both let out the breath they had been holding ever since he showed up at their door.

“I don’t think Junmyeon has told them anything,” Chanyeol murmurs, still cautious of the volume of his voice as they sit back down at the table. “He would have said something, if he knew about it. Unless he dropped by only to see if he could catch us in the act.”

“He wasn’t being very sneaky though, knocking on the door and all that.” Baekhyun slowly puts the food away. He’s feeling so sluggish and tired, and all he wants is a hot shower and to curl up next to Chanyeol to watch mindless TV shows together. But of course, there’s no way his wish could come true- their phones got lost in the sea when their boat capsized, for one, not that the batteries would have lasted this long anyway. They could wash up, but heating up the water for it is just too much work.

“We’ll have to keep an eye out tomorrow, see if anyone tries to spy on us.” Chanyeol sounds so serious. It’s not like him to be so paranoid; usually it’s him who’s more trusting of people, readier to open his heart to anyone he meets. It’s often Baekhyun who has to remind him not to trust everyone so blindly. Before, he would have never, ever even thought of things like this. The island is getting to him, getting to them both, and not without reason.

“I don’t know if they’re that perversely interested in us,” Baekhyun says anyway, just to curb the growing paranoia. “We’re not out of the woods yet but I think it’s a good sign Junmyeon hasn’t told anyone yet. At least he hesitated, if he means to say anything at all. We’ll try to talk to him in the morning.”

“You never know.” Chanyeol takes on a sudden sharp tone, one that startles Baekhyun a little with how confrontational it sounds. But before he can react, before he can decide if Chanyeol is truly upset or just tired, Chanyeol gets up and disappears into the other room, closing the sliding door behind him with a quiet thud. He can hear him moving around, taking out the bedding and setting out the beds for the night. Neither of them is tidy enough to put the sleeping mats away every morning, but someone comes in every day and does it for them.

But once Baekhyun joins Chanyeol in bed, he’s not met with hostility. Chanyeol pulls him to his naked chest with a deep sigh, and before Baekhyun can ask any questions, he cuts him off with persistent kisses. It’s pitch black in the room, even the moon hiding behind clouds, and so despite the scare they got earlier, Baekhyun allows himself to relax into it. He needs it, Chanyeol needs it.

“We didn’t get to finish what we started,” Chanyeol murmurs against his lips, and despite his emotional and physical exhaustion, it does make Baekhyun laugh, rolling his eyes at his boyfriend even though it’s too dark for him to see it.

“Well, at least now we don’t have to worry about sand getting everywhere,” Baekhyun points out jokingly, and Chanyeol’s laughter rumbles deep within his chest, like a giant cat purring. It’s always been one of Baekhyun’s favourite sounds. He wedges a thigh in between Chanyeol’s legs to make him part them, and then slides fully in between them, running his hands up and down his thighs even as he keeps kissing him, already knowing that Chanyeol will try to argue over this.

“I wanted your ass,” Chanyeol whines, and he tries to flip them over but Baekhyun refuses to budge. He flicks his nipple in retaliation, just to make him squirm a little.

“Since we’ve got no proper lube, I’m not gonna bottom,” he retorts, and nips at Chanyeol’s bottom lip to keep him quiet a little longer. “That’s just how this is gonna go. If you can find us lube, or even some sort of oil to use, then we can talk about reversing this situation.”

Baekhyun can perfectly imagine the look of indignation and huffiness on Chanyeol’s face. “So I’m gonna be the one who’s gonna be sore, huh? That’s not fucking fair.”

Baekhyun might be more willing to take him seriously if he couldn’t feel him growing hard against his hip. A part of him does feel sort of bad, but he knows Chanyeol can take it. It’s not going to be their first time improvising, anyway.

“Your monster cock is just too much when all you’ve got is spit,” Baekhyun points out, purposefully rolling his pelvis to give Chanyeol the stimulation he needs and wants. The more riled up he can get him, the less he’ll care about arguing. “We’ve been over this many times, so just cut it out, okay? I got you. You’re gonna love it.”

“I hate you, Byun Baekhyun,” Chanyeol mutters, even as he bucks up to chase that friction, hands sliding around Baekhyun’s body, feeling him up, appreciating his bare skin. “I really, really hate you.”

“Bullshit.” Baekhyun kisses him again and again, slow, sensual, a direct counterpoint to his earlier words. Of course Chanyeol’s comfort matters more than anything else- he isn’t going to force him into anything, isn’t going to hurt him. If Chanyeol insisted, he would switch, but the fact that Chanyeol gave up so easily means this is what he wants after all.

They don’t often have sex like this- intimate, tender, in the dark and under the covers. But tonight, it’s the only right answer, after everything they’ve been through. Kissing each other’s fading bruises, making new marks with their mouths, tongue and teeth and all, loud moans suppressed into the softness of the other one’s skin. Making sure that everything is as they remember it, as they know it, strengthening the bond that has kept them afloat so far, their most important lifeline.

Foreplay is typically never this good, this satisfying; watching Chanyeol shake apart underneath him, his thighs quivering as Baekhyun peppers them with kisses while working him open on his fingers, dragging it out just to see him fall apart like this. Chanyeol’s big, rough hands all over his body in return, on his ass, his thighs, his hips, his stomach, how his mouth follows the trail of his fingers hungrily, readily. Moving slow, taking their time, because on this island, frozen in time, there’s no need to rush anywhere.

And it does take time, to relax, to open up, when they don’t quite have the comfort and ease of using regular lube. Every little wince of discomfort, every noise of pain, Baekhyun waits it out, wipes it away with kisses, soft murmured words. Promises that they don’t have to do this, if it hurts too much. Chanyeol’s immediate reaction, shaking his head, assuring him that he doesn’t mind it, doesn’t dislike it, just has to get used to it, little by little.

Going slow has never been their forte, but now, their tired bodies and minds forcing them to it, it’s the most comforting feeling ever. Lingering in this embrace, close to one another, able to fully feel each other, smell each other, touch each other.

Heavy breaths, heaving chests, sweat trickling down the length of their spines, the backs of their necks. Whispered words like the softest lullaby, even when filthy in meaning, filled with desire. Chanyeol’s growing impatience to have Baekhyun inside him, Baekhyun’s thirst for him, need for him.

Finally becoming one, once Baekhyun is absolutely sure Chanyeol can take it. Taking their time, getting used to it- touching, kissing. Chanyeol’s eyes tightly shut even as he bucks up, tries to make Baekhyun move on top of him, Baekhyun muffling his startled yelp into Chanyeol’s shoulder, slapping his thigh in retaliation but also glad for the explicit permission to finally move. Getting up on his knees for leverage, holding onto Chanyeol’s thighs, rolling his hips how he knows Chanyeol likes it, taking long strokes and slamming into him hard, only to slow it down every so often just to keep him on his toes.

The growing tension in Chanyeol’s body, like a bow string pulled tight, cresting, climbing. The same tension in Baekhyun’s muscles, the pit of his stomach, as he too climbs up higher, higher, wants to get Chanyeol there first before he can give into it, before he can fall down from the peak of it. Both of them so wound up, after taking so long to get here, both reluctant to end it so soon but desperate for release, desperate for sleep, desperate to see each other climax like this.

In the end, they cannot say who comes first. They hold each other, arms wrapped tight around one another, hips moving together as they chase that final high, like a ship rising up to the edge of the wave, the moment when you can’t see how long the drop is going to be and you just wait for it, brace for it, try to hold on as tight as you can. Seconds stretch on forever, as the wave keeps taking them higher, higher still-

and then, they tip over, and fall, fall down, down, down.


	3. Chapter 3

“He’s there again,” Chanyeol whispers to Baekhyun quietly, almost causing him to jump out of his own skin with how startled he gets. He’s working on fixing their radio and he’d gotten so focused on the task at hand that he didn’t hear Chanyeol approaching him, didn’t notice him leaning into his personal space. Chanyeol is lucky that he doesn’t smack him right in the face just out of pure instinct- Baekhyun has never in his life been this on edge, this tense, but their situation and the island has him reeling, losing control. Chanyeol steadies him with a hand on his back, grabs his wrist so his flailing hand doesn’t actually make impact. 

“Woah there, soldier.”

“Don’t sneak up on me like that,” Baekhyun hisses at him, even as he tries to discreetly look out to see the tree line, the bushes. “Isn’t it enough to have him creeping on us, why do you have to start doing it too?” Not that he can see Junmyeon, but he believes Chanyeol. Junmyeon has made a habit out of it, snooping around them whenever they’re working on the boat. The feeling of being watched, they’ve had to grow used to it. 

Chanyeol pretends to lean over to examine the radio over Baekhyun’s shoulder, poking at it tentatively. As if that would do anything- Baekhyun has spent several days on it now, but to no avail. The most he’s managed to get out of it is faint white noise, passing whispers of human voices. If the parts are this damaged, there’s not much else he can do to fix it, but he doesn’t want to give up hope yet. Rather blames his own skills as an electrical engineer than admits that their only chance at reaching the outside world is lost. 

“Should we confront him?” Chanyeol asks quietly, not looking up. “Because I’m really sick and tired of doing this shit. Once he knows that we know he’s there, he’s gonna stop doing it, right`” 

“Maybe,” Baekhyun murmurs. “Unless he’s doing it for teacher Choe and the other villagers. Keeping an eye on us, so we don’t try and sail away without them knowing, or something.” 

Chanyeol chortles at the idea. “As if we could get the boat in the water by ourselves.” “Yeah, but you know how fanatic they are about us killing the damn thing.” Tension has been building up- more and more villagers approach them, staring at them wildly, to ask about how much longer fixing the ship is going to take. When they’ll be able to take on the leviathan. Their desperation and urgency grow more palpable by the day. 

“Well, whatever his reason is, I’m tired of it,” Chanyeol replies, and steps out of the cabin to stand tall on the deck, staring right at Junmyeon’s hiding spot. Raising his voice to be heard even over the sound of the water, the tide roaring behind them. “Yah, we know you’re there, Junmyeon. We’ve known that for days. Whoever made you spy on us, you can tell them that we’re not hiding anything. If you gotta fucking babysit us, you can come up here to do it.”

At first, there’s nothing. No movement, no sound, although Baekhyun has noticed how silently the villagers can move when they so wish. Chanyeol shrugs, and moves to get off the boat. “I’ll come and get you if I have to,” he calls out, and it’s then that Junmyeon finally stands up from the shrubbery he’d been hiding in. He looks sheepish, incredibly so, and quite embarrassed, refusing to look at them even as he steps out of his hiding place and onto the beach. 

Baekhyun emerges out of the cabin as well, although he holds Chanyeol back from jumping down. “You’re not a very good spy,” Baekhyun tells Junmyeon, whose brows knit together. “Since you were peeping on us when we were getting it on, we’ve known you’re watching us. Who made you do it? Teacher Choe?”

“How could you have known I was there,” Junmyeon mutters, almost petulant, a little confused. “You’re just dumb people and I’ve been so careful to never make a sound, I swear, and if I did make a sound then you shouldn’t have been able to hear it. But nobody sent me. I’ve been doing it… doing it on my own.”

As seems to be the norm, somehow his words are extremely unsettling. But Chanyeol presses on, ignoring it. “But we did know you were there. Why the fuck have you been sneaking around like that? What’s the fucking point, if no one made you do it?”

“You just got lucky I made a mistake that one day, otherwise you would have never realized I was there” Junmyeon mutters, kicking a rock into the water. “I was just watching you. For fun. No real reason. Just because.”

“Are you really that bored?” Baekhyun could believe that, somewhat. Him and Chanyeol have both already gotten sick and tired of the stagnant life on the island. It’s not so farfetched to assume Junmyeon might feel the same. “Is us fixing the ship really that fascinating?”

Junmyeon tilts his head down and grumbles something at the tips of his shoes so quietly that neither of them can hear him. “Louder, please,” Chanyeol says, and now there’s even a hint of amusement in his voice. “What did you say?”

“I don’t care about the boat,” Junmyeon repeats himself, and Baekhyun might assume he’s blushing but he can’t be sure, with how tanned he is, with how he keeps his head down. “You two are more interesting.” 

Chanyeol laughs, and even Baekhyun finds himself smiling at his words. “Well, if you find us that fascinating, then why don’t you come on board? You’ll see things much better from up here.”

Junmyeon glares up at them, but then he does just that. He climbs up with great agility, before neither of them can even offer to help him up, and then he stands before them, looking around curiously. “I’ve seen ships like this before,” he declares, chest a little puffed out. “Yours looks kind of old, though.”

“That’s because it is,” Baekhyun says with a sigh, turning back towards the radio. Distractions or not, there’s still work to be done. “Do you really not have anything better to do than sit there and watch us? Doesn’t that get boring? Do you not have chores to do?”

“Not really.” Junmyeon sits on the railing to watch them, chin propped on his hands. The contrast is so stark- his clothing against the metal of the ship. “I’m the youngest, so I don’t have to work.”

“Are you really the youngest?” Chanyeol voices the question both him and Baekhyun are thinking of. “We thought that for sure there have to be kids… That you just keep them all inside, in the morning and at night, so we never see them.”

Junmyeon seems a little guilty, as much as it’s possible to read his eyes, unyielding like black pearls. “Having kids isn’t easy,” he says, then bites his lower lip. “Forget I said anything.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol share a look, but say nothing. But sensing that they have a golden opportunity to ask more questions, Baekhyun changes the topic. 

“When you said the fog doesn’t go away, I didn’t quite believe you,” he says next, gesturing at the sea with the screwdriver. The fog indeed persists- it hasn’t budged once, still as dishearteningly thick as it was on the day they came here. It’s starting to drive Baekhyun a little mad, not being able to see more than a couple dozen meters out to the sea. It feels like a fence around them, a wall too high to climb, and being this closed off from the world, in every way possible, is getting harder and harder to deal with. 

“I’ve never seen it go anywhere,” Junmyeon replies, flippant almost, but there’s an edge of pretense in that. He’s not completely genuine, it feels like. “Not my entire life.” 

“And why’s that? Fogs don’t usually last like that.” 

Junmyeon’s only response is a small shrug, as if to say ‘how would I know?’. And it would make sense- how would the villagers know how and why the sea monster exists, and why the weather behaves so weirdly around their island? It’s not their fault, is it? 

“So you really just want to sit and watch us, huh? Is it because we’re so handsome?” Chanyeol is quick to change directions, and Baekhyun can’t help but roll his eyes at this. Yet at the same time, it’s a good sign. If Chanyeol were to lose his sense of humor, Baekhyun wouldn’t know what else to do but despair. 

“Most people who arrive on our island don’t make it here alive, or in one piece.” Junmyeon says this thoughtfully, looking at both of them up and down. “So yes, I suppose you are more handsome than most.” His grin is so sharp. “And you’re young like me. Almost like me. And you like each other. I’ve never seen that before.”

More dangerous waters. “What? You haven’t seen two men who like each other?” Baekhyun tries to say this as casually as possible, even though it makes his heart race regardless. Although it’s obvious Junmyeon hasn’t yet told anyone about it, there’s still the risk that he might. 

Junmyeon looks back at him with his piercing eyes, and Baekhyun wishes he knew what he can see. What he is trying to see, perhaps. “No, I’ve never seen it,” Junmyeon replies, and this time, he sounds honest. “Out of everyone who ever ended up here, or my own people… I’ve never seen it. Love like yours. Is it love? Can I call it that?” 

Chanyeol clears his throat. “Love is love,” he says, sagely. “Regardless of your gender, or your partner’s gender. Just because we’re both men, doesn’t make it any less real.” 

But Junmyeon shakes his head at that, agitated. “I wasn’t asking about that,” he insists with a huff. “I’m just asking- The sailors who washed up before, they sometimes spoke of their wives. Their kids. And they said they loved them. Teacher Choe said that’s what it supposedly is, when you care about someone very, very much. But I have never seen it. Until you two came here. It’s love, right? What you have.” 

Junmyeon has never spoken this much all at once, and Baekhyun feels quite stunned. Trying to unpack all that, especially what was hidden between the lines, his head is spinning. “Well, yes, we do really love each other,” he settles on, since it’s the one thing that’s true, one thing that he can be certain of. “Teacher Choe was right about that… Loving someone is much like caring about someone, only much, much deeper than that.”

The nod Junmyeon gives them is so pleased, proud to have his suspicions confirmed. But something about this reminds Baekhyun of a child, rather than of a man about his own age. Certainly, he should know what love feels like, and what it is. Does he not have parents, at least? Has he not seen any couples in the village? How would it make sense for them to be the first lovers he’s ever seen in his life?

Chanyeol gives him a weird look, but Baekhyun doesn’t know what to say, or how to react. Although perhaps… Perhaps Junmyeon is merely playing with them. Messing with them for his own enjoyment.

“So would you die for one another? If you had to. Like if the leviathan was going to eat one of you, then the other one would sacrifice himself?” Junmyeon asks this with such earnest, honest eyes, and Chanyeol and Baekhyun both have to laugh at how ridiculous all of this is. This island, this situation, this conversation.

Although it is sort of nice, to have someone else to talk to. Someone new, someone they don’t know so well yet. It’s a good distraction, while they work, painstakingly preparing their ship to sail again.

*****

Whenever there’s a knock on their door, Baekhyun always just assumes that it’s either Junmyeon or teacher Choe. Junmyeon is in and out of the house, bringing them food and clean clothes, while teacher Choe makes his visits to check up on the progress they make, on what tools and items they might need, if they’re lacking anything. While the villagers have begun to stare at them more openly, even though some of them have come forth to exchange a few words, usually they stay away from the house, minding their own business. These people are all so private, and although they’ve placed a lot of faith in Baekhyun and Chanyeol, they don’t seem keen on getting to know them. 

So although these knocks are a lot heavier, louder, Baekhyun still doesn’t think much of it. It’s just after sundown, the last bit of light fading away, and they just made it home a little while ago. Now that Junmyeon sits with them, rather than hiding in the bushes, he always makes sure that they leave early enough to make it home before dark- not that they would risk it again, after what they experienced last time. 

But when Baekhyun opens the door, he’s not met with Junmyeon’s cheerful smile or teacher Choe’s jovial face. Instead, there’s a man standing there- a little taller than him, a little older than him. Baekhyun has seen him around, of course; in a village this small, it would be impossible not to recognize everyone’s faces. Baekhyun bows in greeting out of instinct, but when he stands up tall again and makes eye contact with him, his mouth runs dry. 

The man is staring at him with unmoving eyes, his pupils blown wide. His teeth are bared, upper lip curled up and his nose crunched up, in a silent snarl. And he just stands there, staring at him, before taking a step to stand even closer, uncomfortably close, so that Baekhyun can smell him, smell his breath. There’s something foul there, something that makes his stomach churn, and although he wants to call out to Chanyeol for help, nothing comes out. His muscles seize in fear, his breaths coming in shallow and fast, and all he can do is stare right back at him. 

“How much longer?” the man asks, his voice a low hiss, so hoarse that it’s hard to make out what he says. Almost like he’s fighting the urge to just growl into his face, the words a mere hindrance to the message he wants to convey. “How. Much. _Longer_.” 

“We… We are working on the ship every day,” Baekhyun stutters out, but the man shakes his head, takes another step and crowds him back against the door that slipped closed behind him. His face is now barely inches away from Baekhyun’s, his nostrils flared, his eyes completely black, and as his tongue moves slowly across his teeth, Baekhyun can’t look away even though he’s absolutely terrified, his knees buckling underneath him. The hand that grabs his wrist is anything but gentle, long nails pressing into his skin painfully, yet he still can’t scream. 

“We don’t want to wait.” Each puff of air, as he speaks, hits Baekhyun’s face, and the way his eyes won’t even reflect light is downright alien in nature. He’s completely brazen, wild with an emotion Baekhyun cannot understand, and it dawns on him then that this man could tear him into shreds without hesitation, before he could even raise his arm to block him. The way he’s holding onto him, Baekhyun fears he’s already drawing blood. 

“We don’t want to wait. Don’t keep us waiting. We’re so _hungry_.” He leans more of his bodyweight on Baekhyun, chest to chest, and Baekhyun is struggling to breathe, struggling to break out of his hold, panic kicking in. But before he can throw him off, before he can even tear his arm free, someone barrels into the man, sending him flying to the ground, several meters away from the doorstep. 

It’s so dark now, even with the light coming from the windows, that Baekhyun can’t see properly, can only hear the sounds of struggle, the actual growls and low hisses, the sound of clothes ripping, then a scream of pain. “Go inside,” a voice sounds, hoarse and gravelly, almost beyond recognition. “Get inside, and don’t step outside until the sun rises.” 

Baekhyun barely finds the strength in his limbs to do that, slipping through the door and slamming it shut behind him. There’s no lock on it save for the wooden clasp keeping it shut, and it does very little to calm him down- he can still hear the sounds of fighting, and it makes him want to hurl, just the mental image of what could be happening, right behind this flimsy door. 

Chanyeol comes running from the kitchen now, and he only needs to take one look at him to understand that something isn’t quite right. “Baekhyun,” he calls out, rushing towards him, and Baekhyun meets him half way, wanting to get as far away from the door as possible. But he’s quick to press a shaking hand against Chanyeol’s mouth, to keep him from speaking- even though the animalistic noises coming from outside are so, so scary, he wants to hear them. Wants to know if they should brace for an attack. 

But the fight comes to an end quickly, and they can hear someone running away, scrambling to get back to the village. Yet the sound of someone breathing heavily can still be heard, the quiet noise of sand as someone drags their feet through the dirt- towards the house, towards the door. Baekhyun can’t suppress the small whimper of fear that escapes him then, and he uses his bodyweight to push Chanyeol further away from the door, towards the back of the house, towards the kitchen, his survival instinct already looking for a way out. 

Chanyeol grips his arm tightly, eyes fixated on the door. The footsteps stop, then, right at the door, and for a heartbeat, they all stand in silence. Measuring, preparing, thinking. Estimating. 

“Whatever you do, do not open the door when it’s dark.” Junmyeon’s voice. It sounds scratchy and raw, like he’s screamed it hoarse, but it’s still very obviously him. They can hear him press his hand against the wooden door separating them, the gentle brush of his fingers, but he doesn’t try to open it, doesn’t ask them to. “Don’t leave this house, once the sun goes down. Unless you’re with me, or with teacher Choe. Please. I beg you. It’s not… It’s not safe.” 

Baekhyun can still feel the pressure on his chest, the claws on his wrist. He lifts up his hand and it’s covered in blood, seeping out of the little cuts, staining his sleeve. “Why did he attack me?” He can’t help but ask this, even though he doubts Junmyeon has answers. “Why? Why did he do that? Is he going to attack us again?”

Junmyeon is silent for a while. Chanyeol takes his wrist, squeezes his fingers as he tries to examine the wounds. They’ll have to wash them, clean them, possibly bandage them. Baekhyun is somewhat glad there are no mirrors here, he doesn’t want to see how his neck and chest might look like. 

“He might come back. Or someone else might. I don’t… I cannot explain, not now. Just go to sleep. Keep the doors and windows locked. I will… I will keep an eye out.” 

“Could you not spend the night here?” The words are out before he can think twice about it. But feeling so shaken up and violated, he’s desperate for even a little bit of comfort. If Junmyeon… saved him, somehow, if he’s going to keep an eye out, then why not do so from here? 

But Junmyeon’s refusal is immediate. “I cannot,” he says quickly, and they can hear how he takes a step back, pulls his hand away. “I can’t. I shouldn’t. It’s not… It’s not good. But I’ll be… around. Sleep well.” And with that, he heads off, walking briskly along the path, his footsteps fading out of earshot quickly.

Chanyeol drags Baekhyun to the kitchen, where they have water heated up, to tend to his arm. His lips are pressed in a tight line, his eyes focused on the task at hand but Baekhyun can tell how upset he is. Of course. Baekhyun is too, although he doesn’t want to give into it. Doesn’t want to be swallowed whole by the fear and terror storming inside of him.

“What happened?” 

And Baekhyun tries to explain it as well as he can. The man standing behind the door, crazed and wild, the nonsensical things he said, how he said them. It’s hard to put it into words when it’s all so confusing, when its meaning escapes him completely, but he tries. Like chasing a dream you’ve half forgotten in its obscurity. 

How someone, something saved him. Ripped the assailant away from him, and let him escape. 

“Junmyeon. It must have been Junmyeon. I recognize his voice now- it was his voice that told me to get back inside. And it was him who spoke to us, after, wasn’t it? It must have been him. I don’t know how he did that, how he fought off someone like that, but he did…”

Chanyeol’s hands are shaking even as he washes Baekhyun’s arm, cleans the cuts on his skin. Delicately rubbing around each of them, eyes blinking away moisture that would otherwise fall down his cheeks. Baekhyun reaches over to press his uninjured hand to his cheek, and they both breathe out in unison, letting out the tension in their muscles, even if some still lingers, deep within their cores. 

“We have to get out of here,” Chanyeol murmurs, and presses a gentle kiss on Baekhyun’s palm before pushing his hand away to keep working. “We have to. I can’t stand this anymore. This place, these people, this crappy food. I just want out of here.” 

“Me too.” 

Only the question of how remains.

*****

As is to be expected, Chanyeol and Baekhyun have a lot of questions for Junmyeon the following day. Junmyeon comes to the ship later than usual, however, walking slower as he emerges out of the dense forest and steps out to the beach, walks up to the ship. Even the way he climbs over the railing is slower, his movements more deliberate, and the way he avoids eye contact even more so. That doesn’t hide the slight swelling and bruising on his face, however, or the very obvious scratch marks on his neck. They look more faded than you would think, considering he got them only last night, so it’s not as shocking a sight as it could have been. Still, the injuries look very nasty, painful even, and suddenly Baekhyun feels quite relieved that he got away with only small cuts on his arm. 

“I think you saved my ass last night, Junmyeon,” Baekhyun tells him, serious. “I don’t know what got into him, but I think he wouldn’t have stopped if you hadn’t showed up. Thank you.” 

He’s not going to ask how Junmyeon happened upon them right at that moment. If Junmyeon was stalking them again, he doesn’t care. Without him, who knows what could have happened. 

Junmyeon shakes his head, twists his hands in front of him like he doesn’t know how to feel about Baekhyun’s words of gratitude. “He shouldn’t have done that. He shouldn’t have come to the house at night.” He shakes his head again, lips pressed together. “He should have known better.” 

“Known what better?” Chanyeol asks, but Junmyeon refuses to reply. 

Baekhyun breaks the silence again. “I’m sorry you got hurt in the process,” he says, and reaches out to brush his hand against Junmyeon’s shoulder. He’s much more adept at physical comfort than verbal, but he doesn’t know if Junmyeon wants that. And he does twitch away from the touch, although after he seems to process it, he moves back closer to him. Baekhyun doesn’t repeat the gesture, however. “I couldn’t have fought him off, so you really saved me from getting seriously hurt.” 

“It’s nothing, it’ll go away soon,” Junmyeon brushes it off, and he finally lifts up his chin. His eye is bruised, his lip is busted, and the swelling on his cheekbone is more prominent from this angle; Chanyeol makes a small noise, a mixture of pain and empathy, and Baekhyun feels bad as well. Seeing someone else so bent out of shape when they did something like that for him, it makes him feel so guilty. 

“Will he be mad at you? For getting in the way of… whatever he wanted to do?” 

Again, Junmyeon shakes his head. “He knows I was in the right. To stop him. He would have been severely punished if he had actually hurt you,” Junmyeon replies, his tone serious. “He won’t touch me, and he won’t touch you. But remember what I told you. Do not leave the house after sundown. Keep the doors locked. Only open the door if you’re sure it’s me. Or teacher Choe.” The last sentence is merely an add-on. An afterthought. 

“But why did he… Why did he want to hurt Baekhyunnie? He said he was tired of waiting but like, beating the shit out of us is not gonna make things happen any faster. Or is he that fucking dumb?” Chanyeol’s tone is sharp, demanding, but Junmyeon doesn’t shy away, only scowls at him. 

“It doesn’t matter.” He says it so matter-of-factly, and Baekhyun knows it’s futile to try and press him for answers. “Teacher Choe is dealing with it. It won’t happen again. Just stay inside when it’s dark.” 

Baekhyun can’t help but look over to the forest. They know there’s something out there- something that forces them to come to the village before sunset. But now, not even the village is safe once it gets dark; or perhaps, it was never safe. He feels sick to his stomach, as he then looks out to the sea, where another danger is lurking, right below the surface. 

Junmyeon follows his line of vision, and he sighs audibly. “The beast won’t be killed easily,” he comments, an obvious distraction from the previous topic. “I’ve seen so many people try. We’ve tried it, too, countless times. I wonder how you will do it. You said you would- but how?”

Chanyeol shrugs his broad shoulders. “There’s gotta be a way,” he says, insists. He’s refused to think anything else, all this time, even though Baekhyun’s faith keeps faltering. “We’re gonna figure something out. We’re used to catching stuff, so maybe we can like, build a net or something. We’ll start thinking about it soon, the ship’s almost done.” 

“Is it really as quick to notice all boats as teacher Choe told us?” Baekhyun asks. Any information they can get will be useful, and they certainly haven’t spoken about the monster enough yet. “He said it notices every ship trying to set sail from here. Does it really?”

That’s what he’s been mostly thinking about. The island, although not particularly large, is still big enough that it would be near impossible for the creature to know what’s happening on the other side of it. And when it first attacked their boat, they weren’t particularly close to the island yet, so it clearly ventures further out too. If they could somehow know when it’s further away, shouldn’t they be able to sneak away? 

How they would know that for sure, he doesn’t know, but it seems easier to do than actually killing it. 

Rather than answering with words, Junmyeon hops off the boat and grabs a small rock from the beach. He gives them a look as though to tell them to just watch, and then hurls the rock into the ocean. It flies far further than what Baekhyun would have assumed Junmyeon to be able to throw, and it sinks into the waves with a barely audible noise, the fog absorbing the sound effectively. The rings, too, get quickly washed away, as wave after another comes in, smoothing out the ripples like nothing happened in the first place. 

But before Baekhyun can open his mouth to say anything, to ask anything, the leviathan jumps out of the sea with a massive splash of waves, as water makes way for its gigantic mass. Its grey, scaly body, its long tentacles, it bursts to the surface with great speed, its front leaping out of the water while its tentacles trash about wildly, undoubtedly in an attempt to catch whatever prey could be near. Each tentacle is at least ten meters long, perhaps 15, its body a strange mutant shape of a whale and a squid. It’s grey in color, like it’s been dead in the water for days, weeks, months, an ugly shade of decay even though it’s clearly alive. 

It falls back into the water, but it doesn’t dive back down. Instead, it swims in circles, the surface of the water a restless swirl as it tries to find out what moved in the water. Even from this distance, it’s massive, its tentacles thick like tree trunks, its body the size of a small boat, and when it opens its mouth, it’s big enough to eat a man in one bite, its teeth sharp and plentiful. 

Baekhyun and Chanyeol both instinctively scuttle as far away from it as they can on the boat, unable to take their eyes off the beast. But it doesn’t stay on the surface for much longer, before it dives back down, into the depths of the sea. The last thing they see are its tentacles and the ripples of water, before it’s gone without a trace, and once again, all appears well. All appears normal, peaceful. 

Junmyeon gives them an amused look. “Teacher Choe did not lie,” he shrugs. “The leviathan hears everything, and it swims faster than any ship can sail. It will come for you as soon as you enter the water, I guarantee you that.” 

Just watching the beast from afar made Baekhyun’s heart race, and he can taste bile at the back of his throat. When it first attacked them, they didn’t really see it so clearly, but it still brings forth that trauma. And it also made him infinitely more scared- witnessing with his own eyes just how sharp its ears are, just how quick it is to appear, it only reinforced the difficulty of their task of ever getting out of here.

Chanyeol looks pale, his lower lip caught in between his teeth as he stares out at the ocean. But when he turns to face Baekhyun, there’s a look of determination in his eyes. “Well, since it’s so easy to bait, we’ll just have to work around that,” he says as though all of this somehow solved something for them. “We can get it to show up on our terms, when we’re ready. All we need to do is to toss something in the water.” 

Baekhyun doesn’t even want to think about this right now, but Junmyeon is all eager nods and smiles. “Should I tell everyone at the village? That you’re now thinking about how to kill the leviathan? Everyone will be so thrilled, it’ll make waiting so much easier.” He’s full of enthusiasm now, and his smile is so brilliant. Pretty, even, Baekhyun would say. It’s one of the few genuine emotions that are actually easy to distinguish on his face. 

It makes him more at ease. Makes him more drawn to him- to have this familiarity in him, when he’s sometimes so odd and foreign. 

“I guess it’s time to talk about it,” he reluctantly agrees. “We could have a meeting again tonight, if teacher Choe wants. Even with the whole village. We’ll be back before dark, like always.” 

Junmyeon wastes no time, brimming with energy. He seems to have completely forgotten about his injuries as well, as he jumps over the railing before Baekhyun or Chanyeol can say anything. “I’ll run off to tell everyone the good news!” he chirrups, and then, he’s off, sprinting towards the forest and the village at a speed that would make any professional athlete quite jealous. 

“Seems like the dude who attacked you last night isn’t the only one feeling antsy,” Chanyeol says, and although there’s a hint of amusement to that, it’s still a genuine, true observation. “Well, I say we’ve been here fucking long enough. It’s time to get to the next part of our plan.”

Baekhyun nods, but deep inside, he can’t help but fear. Fear the outcome of all this. Because no matter how badly he wants to go home, wants to go back to their lives like nothing happened, a part of him wonders… if it’s all worth dying for. If he wouldn’t rather stay here, on this island, if it meant staying alive.

He glances at the trees, the silent forest. There’s something out there- something as dangerous as the leviathan. Staying on the island isn’t an option either, and he knows it, but at least it’s something he now knows, understands. 

Of killing the leviathan, he knows nothing about.

*****

The meeting is held at the same house where they had the original meeting, when they first arrived here. It feels like it was months ago, even though only a short while has passed- although honestly, Baekhyun is losing count of the days. The weather stays the same, the fog stays the same, the routine of their days stays the same. Even the food never changes. When he really thinks about it, he can’t even be sure that they haven’t already wasted weeks here. He squeezes Chanyeol’s hand a little tighter in his, and Chanyeol in return laces their fingers together, brings their hands closer to tug Baekhyun to his side as well. 

The atmosphere is tenser than it was last time. Everyone is still murmuring amongst themselves, but this time, it doesn’t sound like just curiosity. There’s a more heated tone to it, and the way they keep looking at Chanyeol and Baekhyun, it feels demanding. Like they’re expecting to see something, and are disappointed that they are not seeing it. 

Teacher Choe appears, looking a little disheveled but with a pleasant smile nonetheless. It’s always either that, or a grim, serious expression- Baekhyun resist the urge to grimace himself. Why are these people so impossible to read? 

Everyone goes quiet, as teacher Choe takes his place at the front of the room, and then faces the audience. “Our friends from the outside have told me that they’re almost done with the repairs,” he begins, and this statement earns him some nods of approval. “So it has come time for us to discuss the exact method of killing the leviathan.” With this, he turns to face Baekhyun and Chanyeol, who both feel terribly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the entire village. 

Baekhyun would think that some of them even look disapproving, or irritated, but he tries to will that thought away. After all, when has he ever been able to understand these people? 

Chanyeol steps forward to briefly explain his idea that he had earlier on the boat. “We just need to like, build a fucking massive net,” he concludes, and offers the audience his award-winning smile. Only Baekhyun can tell how dishonest it is. “A big net for a big fish. Haha.” 

“What is a net?” someone from the audience asks. It’s not the weirdest thing anyone has ever asked them around here, and so it hardly even phases them anymore- not after Junmyeon had to ask them why Chanyeol’s eyes were leaking. 

“Uh, this thing that you weave out of like string or something, and you put it in the sea to catch fish,” Baekhyun hurries to explain, gesturing with his hands to indicate the size of it. “We would normally have those on board with us, but we were just prospecting the waters around here, so we didn’t bring any of that sort of gear. But we can make it. We just need to figure out a way to make a material for them. A string of some kind.” 

Fishing in the 21st century, they’ve never really employed fishing nets of organic materials, and much less have had to think about making them by hand. But the principle is easy enough, and if these people are capable of making cloth and clothing, they should be more than able to figure it out. The only concern is how to make it big and strong enough for the leviathan- it’s not likely that they’ll get a second chance at killing it, so if the net breaks too quickly, they’ll be doomed. 

Chanyeol nods eagerly. “And once it’s all wrapped up in the net, we will strike,” he says, and mimics thrusting a spear forward with great triumph. “With harpoons or something. They’re like spears, but for fishing. We will keep poking at it until it will have more holes than a pincushion.” 

And now, there’s no doubt about what the villagers are thinking. The strange sense of ecstasy from before fills up the room, as some villagers scramble up on their feet, smiling like madmen, clapping their hands. “Kill the monster, kill the monster,” some begin to chant, and soon the entire room joins in, stomping their feet and clapping, teeth bared and eyes blown wide. The sound resonates through the entire room, even through Baekhyun’s chest. It’s like a war cry, unhinged and powerful, as everyone’s voices unite as one. 

Their joy and excitement resembles aggression so vividly that it makes Baekhyun scared, makes the hairs on his body stand up, and all he can do not to give this away is grit his teeth and will himself to stay still, instead of hunching and hiding away. 

The sooner they can get out of here, the better.

*****

The meeting ends soon afterwards, and Junmyeon appears out of nowhere to hover by their side, lips pressed together, lines on his face more pronounced in an expression that almost resembles worry. “I’ll walk you home,” he says in a hushed voice, glancing around the room. “It’s not safe.”

“That’s what you keep telling us.” Baekhyun pats his shoulder gently. Junmyeon’s concern for their wellbeing is quite cute, in all honesty, and he seems to be the only one who ever thinks about them as anything else but as means to escape this island. He seems genuinely attached to them, even- but it’s mostly just curiosity for the unknown, the new, the rare. Or that’s how Baekhyun makes sense of it, at least. 

“I mean it.” Junmyeon frowns, and Chanyeol laughs, reaches out to ruffle his hair and doesn’t realize until it’s too late that with the topknot, it’s impossible to do so; instead, he only makes the topknot wobble from side to side, while small strands come loose, escaping the bun and falling down. It looks absolutely ridiculous and both Baekhyun and Chanyeol erupt in laughter, giggling at how silly Junmyeon looks, especially with how indignant he is, lower lip jutting out in what can only be described as a pout. 

“You mock me,” he huffs, and crosses his arms over his chest as he does. It’s so adorable, even when it shouldn’t be; an emotionally stunted grown man, acting as though he’s been terribly offended somehow by a simple friendly gesture that turned out goofier than intended. And it only makes Baekhyun and Chanyeol laugh even louder- thankfully, most people have already filed out of the room, although no doubt they can hear them all the way outside. 

“We’d never,” Baekhyun finally manages to say through his giggles, and he reaches out to attempt to smooth down Junmyeon’s now unruly hair. “Seriously. Chanyeol likes to be all touchy-touchy, you know, but he just forgot for a moment that your hair isn’t like ours.” 

“My hair is better than yours,” Junmyeon grumbles, although he holds nice and still as Baekhyun does his best to make him presentable again. He even leans into it, eyes crinkled up in what could be a smile, before he snaps out of it, and takes a step back to fuss with his hair himself. 

The tips of Baekhyun’s fingers tingle, and he doesn’t know why that is. 

Junmyeon herds them out of the building and down the winding path. Some people still linger, slowly walking home, and there’s something tense about them every time they lock eyes with Baekhyun, like there’s a secret they’re aching to tell but not brave enough to approach him. Perhaps it has something to do with Junmyeon- each time he meets someone’s gaze, they first stare at him, and then stare at Junmyeon, before turning away, before hurrying along as though suddenly reminded of some urgent matter they desperately need to tend to. 

“Why don’t you come and hang out with us for a while?” Chanyeol drops the question once they’re only a few paces away from their temporary home. “Last night you said no, so that means that tonight, you have to say yes.” 

“Last night I had a good reason to refuse,” Junmyeon says, not without an edge of playfulness. Under the poor lighting, the bruises on his face are hard to tell apart from the shadows playing about his features. “Tonight, I do not. So if you are sure…” 

“Of course we’re fucking sure,” Chanyeol assures him, and he opens the door to take them inside. Junmyeon stands so close to Baekhyun as they enter, one by one, uncomfortably close- when Baekhyun turns his head to look, he catches Junmyeon looking around almost frantically, before pulling the door closed behind him. 

What is he looking out for? Does he not want to be seen with them- or was he checking that last night’s assault would not be repeated? 

Not knowing is like an itch he can’t scratch, and it’s more frustrating than Baekhyun would like to admit. 

Chanyeol prepares them some barley tea. It’s the only refreshment that they have, although there’s one thing that Baekhyun has begun to consider as very strange. 

“Where do you grow all your crops?” he asks Junmyeon, as they seat on the floor while they wait for Chanyeol. “We didn’t see any fields when you showed us around. Where do you grow your barley and rice, and your vegetables? To the east of here?”

Junmyeon narrows his eyes at him, although the strange look is gone before Baekhyun can make any sense of it. “We, uh, we don’t… We don’t do farming,” Junmyeon finally says, and immediately, there’s an air of regret to him. He didn’t mean to be so honest. 

“So where’d you get all this?” It makes no sense that the villagers wouldn’t grow anything on their island. He can’t believe that they wouldn’t know how to do it, it wouldn’t make any sense. Had they forgotten such a skill, they might as well be living like in the stone age. The fishing nets, he can somewhat understand, since using them would be nearly impossible when you can’t use a boat. But farming? 

“From the shipwrecked boats,” Junmyeon mutters, squirming in place, hands laced tightly together in his lap. “Most of them have some food in them. For the crew. You need sustenance to sail across the sea.” 

“That’s true but… you really don’t grow anything here? You just rely on whatever the tide brings you?” Baekhyun is bewildered. He’s witnessed many a strange thing in this village, but this is just unfathomable. “Just how often do you get shipwrecks here?”

“Not very often.” Junmyeon shrugs his shoulders, fiddles with the hem of his jeoggori. “I mean, not every month. Or even every other month. But it’s okay, we prefer the fish.”   
Baekhyun has noticed as much. But other pieces are falling into place for him as well. “So you just store whatever you can scavenge, and eat it… later?” Suddenly, the strange taste of the kimchi, the tea, everything, it becomes more recognizable. “You just… hoard it? Without ever growing your own?”

“There’s plenty of fish.” There’s something unnerving about him, when he smiles with all his teeth on show. “Maybe that’s an acquired taste, somehow. Survivors like you and Chanyeol, you always seem to favor the grains and vegetables over the fish. We really don’t care much for them.” 

He’s seen as much, now recalling each time they’ve ever shared a meal with anyone from the village. They’ve always left the food untouched, save for the fish, and Baekhyun can now understand why that might be. 

The way it’s always been just a little off, just a little strange- he now knows what it is. It’s stale; it’s the taste of a cellar, a basement, food kept too long, well beyond its lifetime. Who’s to say how long they’ve held onto all this food, how long it’s been waiting for another ‘survivor’ to come by to eat it?

Baekhyun knows he’s a fussy eater sometimes, but he feels justified in how close to vomiting he suddenly feels. Perhaps it would have been for the best to not know about it, since the taste itself wasn’t enough to put him off too severely. Perhaps from now on, he’ll also focus more on the fish, and ignore everything else. 

Even the tea that Chanyeol brings to them makes him feel a little sick on the first sip. The musty taste is so obvious to him now that he can’t ignore it, and so his tea remains mostly untouched throughout the evening. 

Chanyeol insists on sitting close to him, their thighs touching, and Baekhyun indulges him by resting his hand on his inner thigh, rubbing his thumb back and forth although mindful not to make it too inappropriate. He catches Junmyeon staring, though that is to be expected and it hardly even bothers him anymore. 

“You don’t have a sweetheart of your own, Junmyeon?” He can’t resist the opportunity to dig a little deeper. Getting to know Junmyeon more closely is one of the few past times that they have available, but he’s grown a little bit fond of the man. Despite his overenthusiasm, he’s the only villager who’s genuinely kind to them, the only one trying to be friends with them. It’s hard not to get attached to the only friendly face in such a hostile environment. 

Junmyeon squirms in place a little, lips pursed together. “No, I do not,” he replies, petulant, and it’s what Baekhyun had suspected. “I don’t have a sweetheart. But I want one.” 

“Oh? Did you have anyone special in mind?” Chanyeol is immediately drawn in, so terribly curious to learn more. “There are some pretty girls in the village. And boys, although none of them are as pretty as you are.” 

Junmyeon’s shocked expression is priceless. They’ve never seen him so completely stunned, so speechless, and Baekhyun absolutely can’t resist the temptation to reach over to pinch his cheek and coo at how cute he is. Junmyeon swats his hand away, scowling at him, and he has to hurry to try and remedy the situation before Junmyeon actually gets upset. 

“It’s just really cute, how you flustered you got because this bloody idiot was messing with you,” he says, but it only makes Junmyeon’s pout more pronounced. 

“I’m not the prettiest boy in the village?” he asks, and it’s Baekhyun’s turn to feel a little lost. 

“Of course you are,” Chanyeol hurries to say, and nudges Baekhyun in the ribs none too gently. “I wasn’t lying when I said that, I don’t know what the fuck Baekhyun is even going on about. But seriously, tell us. Who do you have a crush on? We wanna know.”

Junmyeon lowers his gaze down to his lap, chin tucked low so that they can’t see his eyes at all. “No one,” he squeaks, and it’s such a blatant lie. “I don’t have a crush on anyone in the village. But some day, I want to date! I want to court and be courted, properly!” 

“Make sure to invite us to the wedding,” Baekhyun chuckles. The idea of it is cute. Junmyeon all decked out in traditional wedding clothes, the center of attention and celebration. He just has trouble imagining anyone by his side- he hasn’t seen Junmyeon really talk to any of the villagers, save for teacher Choe. He can’t say who Junmyeon might end up marrying- or, if they succeed in escaping the island, then perhaps Junmyeon could even marry someone from the outside. 

But to this, Junmyeon just shakes his head. “We don’t… do weddings,” he says, finally looking up at them. When they don’t visibly balk at this, he continues. “I’ve been told what a marriage is. Many of the sailors who have been stranded here, they’ve been married. One of them explained to me what it means. But we do not ever get married. We do not have such a custom.” 

Baekhyun can tell how hard Chanyeol is thinking, how carefully he’s choosing his words. “So like… your parents weren’t married? No one here is married? So do you then just… have couples living together, without ever getting married? Because we have that, too. It’s getting more common, people really don’t care so much about marriage anymore.”

Junmyeon shakes his head again. “We… We don’t have relationships, not like you do.” It’s obvious that he’s feeling a little uncomfortable, but he still keeps talking regardless. It’s understandable; most likely, other people before them have been quite confused. “Usually… people come together just for the purpose of producing children. Or other such practical matters… We do not care much for physical or emotional intimacy.” But the way Junmyeon says it, it sounds like he thinks it’s very regretful.

And it’s hard not to have a visceral reaction to this, to an idea and concept so foreign from everything they’ve ever known. Baekhyun has to try his hardest not to react too strongly, doesn’t want to make Junmyeon regret telling them. He pinches Chanyeol’s thigh gently, to try and communicate this to him as well.

It makes sense. Why Junmyeon has always been so curious about their relationship, why he stares at them as he does. He’s probably never seen anyone behave in this way- even if that makes absolutely no sense. He can understand not marrying, he can understand relationships being different, but this level of… coldness, it sounds unnatural. Who could live like that? How could a whole society function like that? 

“But there are no children here.” Chanyeol says this, and swats at Baekhyun’s hand so he’d stop pinching him. “Are people not… coming together as much?” They already asked him about this- but maybe this time, he’ll be willing to tell them more.

Junmyeon’s nose wrinkles up as he thinks long and hard about his reply. “It’s not easy for us to… produce offspring.” He brings the tea cup closer to his face, and stares at the bottom of it like he hopes to find the answers there. “We try, but we haven’t had much success… It’s been getting harder and harder, as the years have gone by. There is now talk about it having something to do with our malnourishment… That because we do not get to enjoy the food we so desire, our bodies are failing. That at long last, we will perish for good.” 

Chanyeol gives Baekhyun a quizzical look, eyebrows raised, and Baekhyun knows what he’s thinking. None of these people appear particularly skinny or malnourished; rather, they’re all spry and strong, from what they’ve witnessed. Of course, living off of mostly fish must have its downsides, but nobody seems to have scurvy, and they all appear very healthy. Food never appears as an issue- even them, despite not contributing anything to the village, have always received as much fish as they could eat, on top of the goods that they now know to be well past their prime. 

“What is the food you wish to eat?” Baekhyun asks carefully. Junmyeon is so much like a clam; if you prod at him too much, he’ll close up and go silent until someone changes the topic. He’s burning with curiosity, as is Chanyeol, and he’d really like to find out more. All these things he keeps alluding to without explanation, he wants to get to the bottom of it all. 

When Junmyeon looks up again, his teeth are bared once more. The low light only makes them appear sharper than usual, deepening the shadows around his pointy teeth, and Baekhyun’s eyes are transfixed on his tongue as it moves slowly across the pearly white row. Somehow, he’s holding his breath, watching it, as though scared that Junmyeon might injure himself on his own teeth- cut his own tongue on them, that’s how razor sharp they look. The redness of his mouth, the whiteness of his teeth, it reminds him of blood, only adding to the illusion, and he finds his muscles growing tense as his flight or fight instinct kicks in involuntarily. 

But where would he run to? Outside of this house, there are only dangers; the villagers, and whatever lurks in the woods around them. 

How would he fight? He couldn’t kick off his attacker, but Junmyeon could, and with ease. There’s no way he could take down Junmyeon, if it came down to it. 

But then, the moment is gone. Junmyeon’s smile softens around the edges into something less menacing, something less dangerous, and the tension dissipates so quickly that it leaves Baekhyun reeling, wondering if it was all in his own head after all. 

“I cannot say,” Junmyeon replies, playing coy. “But I’m sure you can imagine what it’s like to eat the same thing over and over again your entire life! We just want a bit of variety, I’m sure you understand. We’ve only gotten crumbs of these delicacies, with the shipwrecked sailors. It’s not enough to satisfy us. In fact, I think it only makes things worse- it has given us a taste for it. You cannot miss something you’ve never had, isn’t that so? So perhaps, it would have been best to not know it at all.”

“I guess so.” There’s something odd about this conversation, although Baekhyun can’t quite place the feeling. “Once we kill the leviathan, and get all of you out of here, you can eat as much as you’d like. Anything you’d like.” 

Junmyeon’s pupils widen and the corner of his mouth tilts upwards again, and it takes visible effort from him to tame his reaction- to school his features back into something less wicked. “That is what we all look forward to,” he replies, and somehow, Baekhyun has never been quite so terrified. 

They end the conversation soon after that, using exhaustion as an excuse to get Junmyeon to leave. It’s a relief to finally have him out of the house, and to hear his footsteps fade into silence as he walks away. 

Even if he’s always protected them, tonight felt like inviting the danger straight into their own home. 

Chanyeol doesn’t say anything of it, doesn’t comment on it, but the way he spoons Baekhyun from behind in bed, arm wrapped tightly around his waist and their legs tangled together, speaks for how unsettled he feels as well. 

Tomorrow, they begin making the net. And soon, they will get out of here, no matter what it’ll cost them.


	4. Chapter 4

The following day, Junmyeon stops Baekhyun and Chanyeol as they’re just about to leave the village once more, to return to their boat- though she’s seaworthy again, though there’s nothing else left to fix but the radio, just having something to do feels best. Makes the time pass a bit more swiftly, helps keep them sane.

Even though that isn’t their focus anymore. Now, it’s time to prepare to kill the leviathan.

“I did some thinking,” Junmyeon says as he catches up to them, smiling from ear to ear. It sends chills down Baekhyun’s spine, even though chirpy and preppy Junmyeon is so precious to see. “I thought about what you said- about nets! And I remembered something. Come, I want to show you.”

He grabs Chanyeol by the hand, and begins to tug him away. Baekhyun can only follow suit, as Junmyeon takes them down a path to the shed where they got their repair supplies from, all those days, weeks ago. But rather than taking them inside, he goes around the building, pushing through the tall grass to get to the back of the shed, dragging tall Chanyeol behind him with such determination that Baekhyun can’t help but find it funny.

He’s just glad it’s not his own wrist in Junmyeon’s hand- just thinking about those nails cutting into his skin, it still makes him wince.

At first, he doesn’t see it. It’s particularly cloudy that day, the sun still quite low, and the tall trees crowd around the edges of the village like tall guardians, casting long shadows. But then, his eyes focus better, and begin to see familiar shapes amidst the vegetation- the artificial shades of green and blue, like the water of the sea, a color chosen so that the fish couldn’t see the danger ahead.

“Fishing nets!” Chanyeol is so loud when he gets excited, and he pulls Junmyeon close for a playful hug. “Junmyeon, you’ve done it again! You son of a bitch, you never fail us. Where’d you get these?”

Junmyeon struggles to get away from him, looking huffy. No- he looks livid. “How dare you call me that,” he gurgles, a mix of indignation and rage. “I just showed you something great, and you insult me, and my mother! I swear to high heavens-”

And in an instant, his eyes have gone black, his teeth are bared, his hackles raised; shoulders squared, standing on his tippy toes and arms reached wide to make himself appear more threatening. Baekhyun backs away immediately, frightened by the sudden change.

“He didn’t mean it as an insult,” he hurries to say, reaching for Chanyeol’s arm to tug him behind him. “I promise, Junmyeon! I promise. It’s just a stupid thing we say, out there. It… You’re right, it’s a bad expression. It’s not nice. He shouldn’t have said it. But he didn’t mean it like that.”

“I didn’t, I swear I fucking didn’t.” Chanyeol holds onto Baekhyun’s shoulders, crouching down so that his impressive height would be better concealed behind Baekhyun’s much shorter frame. “I meant that you’re fucking amazing, Junmyeon, so fucking cool, like, dude, the most awesome person ever. It’s just a backwards way of saying it.”

Junmyeon snarls at them, but at least he’s not making a move to come for them. “That makes no sense at all!” he exclaims, and Baekhyun can’t blame him for that. “Don’t ever call me that again!”

“I won’t, I swear. I promise. I’m so sorry, I’m so fucking sorry,” Chanyeol stumbles over his words. Baekhyun, sensing that the tension has gone down a little bit and the immediate danger is gone, reaches for Junmyeon’s arm, placing his hand gingerly on it for a gentle touch. Offering Junmyeon the chance to pull away from it, if he doesn’t want it- but instead, after a moment of hesitation, Junmyeon leans into it, steps closer to him, and slowly… his eyes go back to normal, his face settles back into something more soothing, his posture relaxes. It’s a true miracle, how much he can change, in just a blink of an eye.

“Are we good?” Baekhyun asks him anyway, and Junmyeon nods, looks away shyly. He snivels his nose and gestures at the pile of tangled nets.

“These things wash up on our shores sometimes,” he explains. “We didn’t know what they’re in the sea for, it didn’t make sense to us. And they’re so indestructible, too. Hard to cut, and they’re so tightly knotted that we couldn’t take them apart to weave for cloth. We didn’t know what to do with them, so we just kept piling them here. They’re awful, really, floating in the sea like that. We had no idea they are used for fishing, somehow. Until you explained what you wanted for the leviathan. Then I realized that you meant all of these.”

Baekhyun’s ears feel a little hot, listening to that. He knows that whenever a fisherman loses a net, it has to end up somewhere- it’s just that they never think about it, and just replace it with a new one. Junmyeon is right, these things are really bad, but now is not the time to worry about ethics.

“If only we can untangle all these, then I’m sure we can use them,” he says, and squats down to take a closer look. The nets are all messed up for sure, and back at home, he wouldn’t bother trying to sort these out, it would be more work than it would be worth in the end. But here, they have no choice. Weaving something out of reeds and grass, painstaking and slow as it would be, and still have no guarantee that it would even work. That it would ever be strong enough to withstand the strength of the leviathan- the beast that so easily knocked their entire ship around, like it was nothing but a twig floating in the sea.

Junmyeon looks so proud of himself, and Baekhyun beams up at him, all teeth and delight. “You really came in a clutch,” he compliments him, standing up, and patting him in between his shoulder blades. He’s being intentionally cautious, however, to avoid Chanyeol’s mistake. “I don’t know what we would do without you, Junmyeon.”

“Be much more miserable, that’s for sure,” Chanyeol comments, and goes as far as to wrap his arm around Junmyeon’s shoulders, to jostle him playfully. “Our little lifesaver, this one.”

Junmyeon has never seemed… happier than this. This wholeheartedly happy. He keeps looking at them both, turning his head like a little baby owl, blinking at them as though asking them to keep complimenting him, to keep praising him for how well he’s done.

It’s gutwrenchingly adorable.

But there are things to be done- urgent things.

“We have to spread these all out, to see which ones are the least tangled,” Baekhyun breaks the moment, stepping back to the pile of nets. It’s a lot, and even figuring out how to grab just one part of them seems like it’ll be headache. “Do you think someone from the village could help us? Maybe someone who’s woven cloth before?”

Junmyeon nods enthusiastically. “I’m sure that the aunts will be more than pleased to help you with this,” he chirrups, eagerly trying to help Baekhyun pick some up. “It shall give them something to do, give the entire village something better to do than just talk about foolish things.”

“What sort of foolish things are they talking about?” Chanyeol asks, casual, but Junmyeon clamps up just like that, averting his eyes, tilting his chin down.

“Nothing,” he says, lies through his teeth. “Nothing at all. Just plain village rumors, you know how it gets, right? When your hands are idle, your mouth gets busy instead.”

Sometimes Baekhyun wishes that Junmyeon was a better liar than he is, so at least they wouldn’t know when he’s telling them blatant lies like this. But he chooses to let it go, and shakes his head at Chanyeol when he opens his mouth to ask more questions, no doubt.

The villagers are talking about them. Probably wondering as to why it’s taking them so long to finish everything. Why they haven’t killed the leviathan yet.

But the nests, they prove to be quite the hit with the women of the village, once Junmyeon assembles them in the small square in the middle of the houses. Everyone is rather surprised to find out the real use for these mysterious, cumbersome items, and they listen with such rapt attention as Baekhyun and Chanyeol explain what they want their help with.

The concept is simple in theory, at least; untangle the nets, and roll them up nicely. They’ll worry about connecting them into a larger piece later, perhaps with nylon from nets that are mangled beyond hope. But as they’ve never handled anything like this before, as this is a completely new material to them, Baekhyun and Chanyeol spend most of the day working with them, to show them how it’s done, how to solve tangles and knots, how to go around parts that are simply too complicated to sort out right.

It’s tiring work, certainly. Staring at the blue and green plastic, trying to make sense of the massive balls of twisted threads, intertwining and merging together. It hurts the eyes and it hurts the mind, but it’s still so monotone, the same repetitive motions and the same frustration, heightening as time goes by; when you sort out one mess, you still feel like you’ve made no progress at all. The sun at least is gentle, the light coming in soft and friendly, and the women are singing- traditional songs, work songs, that give rhythm to the ceaseless work. These are the type of songs that Baekhyun’s grandmother used to sing, whenever she would weed her gardens, gut fish, prepare injeolmi for Seollal. Songs with a rhythm made specifically to fit the motions of that particular chore, and improvised lyrics when she would run out of ready made verses.

It’s like a punch in the gut, the homesickness. The realization how long they’ve been gone, how far away home seems. So unreachable, no matter how much progress they’ve made so far. Baekhyun tilts his head down further, so no one would see him tearing up, although of course Chanyeol notices, presses closer, nudges him gently just to remind him that he’s there.

And then, Junmyeon’s hand on his thigh, small, strong, hesitant. His imploring eyes, when Baekhyun finally looks up, discreetly wiping at his eyes to catch any moisture there.  
“It’s okay to leak,” Junmyeon whispers to him, smiling knowingly. “It’s okay.”

It’s bold of Junmyeon to promise something like that, but Baekhyun just accepts it for what it is. For sincere effort to make him feel better, honest intent to not see him sad again.  
“I know,” he says, his voice thick with the effort of holding back all that emotion. “I know. I just… I don’t know. It’s the singing, it made me emotional.”

“I love songs,” Junmyeon sighs, wistful. “Songs like these, and other types of songs. They make you feel so alive.”

“They do.” Baekhyun turns his head to give Chanyeol an assuring smile, not wishing for him to worry too much. “They really do. Even if they don’t really make this boring work that much easier to handle for long.”

Junmyeon shrugs. “Well, each knot I take out, I feel like I’m doing something to take us closer to the leviathan’s death,” he says, sounding elated. “One step closer to setting all of us free. I’ve been thinking about it very much- what I wish to do, what I wish to see first when we get there. I’ve heard so many stories, and I cannot wait to see it with my own eyes.”

It’s true. Junmyeon has been asking them questions nonstop, as he’s been spending time with them at the boat. Asking about their ordinary lives back at home, about the town they live in, the places they’ve seen. And while Chanyeol and Baekhyun have never travelled much, have never even been outside of Korea, every little detail has been like a treasure to Junmyeon. They understand why- life on this small island, isolated from the world, it must make you thirsty for knowledge, thirsty for stories of what is beyond the fog. Although other sailors before them must have also relayed stories to the villagers, there’s still a lot they don’t know about, and it feels important to help Junmyeon be more prepared for his new life. His life in the 21st century.

“We can’t wait to show you everything,” Baekhyun replies, and pats Junmyeon’s knee before going back to his work. “It will be so much fun. We will eat all the tastiest foods, we will show you all the places we told you about, take you to cities like Gwangju, Busan, maybe even Seoul. We have never been there, but we could go together. It would be a fun adventure.”

Junmyeon’s smile is blinding with pure excitement, but then, a shadow creeps onto his features as another emotion takes over. It almost looks like regret- sometimes, Baekhyun thinks he’s beginning to understand Junmyeon better, but he can never be quite sure. But nonetheless, his smile disappears, and he lowers his eyes back to the net, shoulders hunched forward.

“What’s the matter?” Chanyeol asks, having been listening in on their conversation. “Are you worried we’re not gonna kill the leviathan? Because we’re gonna do our best, Junmyeonnie. We’re gonna kill that giant squid, no matter what it takes.”

“That’s not… That’s not really it.” Junmyeon sighs, and shakes his head minutely. “I have much faith in you. If anyone is going to succeed, it will be you… I’m just afraid that once we get away from here, we won’t have much time for adventure after all.”

Though Junmyeon has a habit of speaking in cryptics, whether intentionally or not, something about that statement is more ominous than anything else before. It could mean any number of things- it could be nothing serious, yet that isn’t Baekhyun’s gut feeling at all. But the singing around them is growing quieter, and he’s acutely aware of the eyes watching them, so he doesn’t ask. Doesn’t try to dig deeper, as has become his habit around Junmyeon.

He wonders if he’ll ever trust them enough to stop hiding secrets from them. To drop the veil of mystery he uses to hide things with. They’ve shared so much with him, but gotten to know only Junmyeon’s personality; bubbly when happy, frightening when angered. Everything else, remains an enigma.

And he’s doing it on purpose, Baekhyun realizes. He’s keeping secrets willingly, although why he keeps hinting at them like so, why he keeps slipping up so that he gives himself away, that’s unclear to him. Sometimes, it seems like an accident, but sometimes… It feels as though Junmyeon wants them to know. Wants them to know his secret, yet he won’t come out and say it.

If it’s a game he’s playing, then Baekhyun doesn’t know the rules, or what the end goal should be.

Most of all, he doesn’t know why he’s so preoccupied thinking about it. Thinking about Junmyeon. Why should it matter, what he thinks, or what he wants. Why should he care, and why should he agree to play?

Yet he can’t help it.

He can feel Chanyeol’s eyes on him, but since half the village is here, he doesn’t want to give too much away. Instead, he shuffles closer to him so their thighs are almost touching, and leans in as though to point out something in the net they’re both working on, just to have an excuse to be closer for a passing moment, without making it too obvious. To ground himself, to refocus himself.

The longer they stay here, the more unstable their emotions become. It’s not insanity, not yet, but Baekhyun can see how it could go down that path very quickly. The fear, the paranoia, the feeling of being trapped, the feeling of being watched, it’s getting to him, getting to them both.

*****

Once the women have learned what to do, they no longer need help from Chanyeol and Baekhyun in the following day. It’s a relief- they seem happy to help, and it’s one less thing for them to worry about. So they return to their boat, to start thinking about the exact logistics of all this. Junmyeon comes with them, as has become routine, this time hanging onto Chanyeol’s arm as he keeps asking him questions about grocery stores; the concept is obviously fascinating to him, in its entirety, and at least it helps pass the time as they make the journey to the beach. It also strokes their egos, as they feel so cool and interesting, with how keenly Junmyeon drinks up their every word. Even if it isn’t their own accomplishment at all, to have this knowledge, it doesn’t matter. Junmyeon still treats them like they’re higher beings with divine wisdom, and there’s something very flattering about it.

“And you have these places at every street corner? Infinite sources of food where you just… walk in and get what you desire?” Junmyeon’s eyes are wide as saucers, and he nearly stumbles on his own feet as the path drops down from the forest down to the beach. He’d tumble right down, if Baekhyun and Chanyeol didn’t both catch him, hoisting him back up by his arms and making sure he stays on his feet. A dusting of pink comes over Junmyeon’s cheeks as he gets his bearings, but his smile is toothy in a cute way, his eyes sparkling ever so slightly.

If this were different, if things were different, perhaps…

“We really miss the food, that’s for fucking sure,” Chanyeol carries on, approaching the boat, stroking his hand along the hull as he walks beside it. They’ve straightened out the frame as much as possible, banged the metal back into shape, and patched what they could. They repaired the engine and tested it to make sure it runs, took care of the steering and put together the electricals that they knew how to fix. The sonar radar still doesn’t work, though, and neither does the radio, but at least they have a seafaring ship at last. “My mom’s cooking, all the sweet treats we would buy at the corner store… I can’t wait to be back.”

“It sounds so nice,” Junmyeon sighs, forlorn somehow. “So nice… I wish to see it, too, before it’s too late.”

“Oh, c’mon, you’re not that old,” Baekhyun claps him on the back, but Junmyeon just shakes his head, stubborn, although he says nothing further about it.

But they have to focus on the task at hand. Baekhyun stares out at the sea, what little of it that is visible, and tries to visualize it. How they will slay the leviathan, and make their escape.

“We have to somehow get the net spread out in the water,” he thinks out loud, walking over to a patch of sand and hastily drawing a rough sketch of the beach and the sea. In the water, he draws a pattern like spider webs, to resemble the net. “So the leviathan will swim into it. But we can’t sail out to set it down, otherwise it’ll attack us right away.”

Chanyeol and Junmyeon both gather near him, all three of them hunched down over the plain drawing. “Maybe we could let the waves carry the floaters away until the whole thing is spread out how we want it,” Chanyeol suggests, placing little rocks at the edge of the net to resemble the plastic buoys. “It’s gonna take fucking forever, that way, but at least it’s not gonna make any sound.”

“It’s hard to anticipate which way the floats will go, though,” Baekhyun murmurs. “It might not spread out at all. And it could attack it before we’re ready for it, and completely ruin this. I don’t think we get more than one chance at this. If the thing escapes the net and we don’t kill it, it’s gonna take the net with it and we’ll never get to try it again.”

“So what if we just throw it out?” Junmyeon gestures wildly at the waves. “We’re plenty strong! We can do it. We can throw it very, very far.”

And yes, Baekhyun remembers how far Junmyeon could toss that rock. How easily the village men maneuvered their ship on dry land. How strong his attacker was, how he couldn’t throw him off no matter how he struggled.

“The splash it’s gonna make will alert the monster,” he sighs. “And we can’t let it get into the net too far away from the shore, otherwise we’re not going to get to it in time to kill it. However the hell we decide to do that.”

“But we can’t go into the water to set it ourselves.” Chanyeol rubs at his eyes, digging his fingers in too hard. “It would help if we knew what the general shape of the ocean floor is like. If we could find an area that is too shallow for it, we could use that- maybe use that to help the net open, and then pull it in place with ropes where it can swim into it.”

Baekhyun nods. “That would be ideal,” he agrees, arranging the sand and rocks to mimic shallows and ridges. “We could go into the water there, and use something, like a long rod. Then someone else from the shore could pull it forward, and get it into position.”

Instinctively, they both turn to look at Junmyeon who has become their local guide, but he shakes his head at them, quick to let them down.

“None of us ever go into the water, except in our fishing spot,” he mutters. “Unless that would work for this?”

Baekhyun thinks about it for a while. He remembers the fishing spot being rather rocky, which could make it harder to maneuver their monster net, but he doesn’t know why they couldn’t pull it off if needed.

“But we can’t set the boat in water anywhere near there,” Chanyeol points out. “Even if we could get the ship to the other side of the island, there’s no place where we could get it into water. The shore is too steep. Digging it out or building a fucking ramp would take ages.”

And they both know that time is the resource they have the least. Not only because the villagers are getting impatient, but because their own sanity is running lower each day, their patience to tolerate all of this.

“And pulling the net from over there to here would increase the risk of the leviathan attacking it too soon,” Baekhyun adds, and sighs heavily. “Alright. So that spot is out of the question, then. We’re just gonna have to find a place right here to do it.”

“How are you going to do that? How are you going to find out the shape of the bottom of the sea?” Junmyeon not only sounds doubtful of this plan, but also curious. And Baekhyun knows the answer to that question, even if he hates it already.

“We’re going to have to go into the water.” It makes his stomach turn, just thinking about it. Going back into the territory of the monster that almost killed them, he can’t imagine anything worse. But there’s no other way, since the sonar radar is broken as well. The GPS works, but since it didn’t even tell them there was an isle here, he doubts it would give any sort of reliable knowledge about the seabed either.

Chanyeol looks grim, but his eyes are resolute. He knows, too, that there’s no way around it. “We just have to make sure not to go in too far,” he gestures at the rolling waves. “Maybe tie a rope around our waists, so we can be pulled to the shore quickly, or something, I don’t fucking know. But like, when it was chasing us, it couldn’t come up all the way to the island, otherwise it would have caught us, right? So there has to be like a safe zone around it, where it’s still too shallow for it.”

“In theory, yeah,” Baekhyun agrees. It’s still risky, and his every instinct is telling him not to do it, but he can see no other way. It could cost them their lives, but then again, there’s no safe part to this plan anyway.

“Let’s go get some rope, then.”

*****

They don’t only return with rope, but also pen and paper, to draw a map of what they discover as accurately as possible. Junmyeon is probably the most nervous, bouncing from one foot to another, eyes darting to stare at the waves, as though suspecting the monster to be already lurking there, just waiting for them to come too close.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Baekhyun tries to calm him down. “Chanyeol is gonna be careful, and we’re gonna watch here, and hold the rope. If we have to, we’re going to just yank him out of the water, yeah? You’re so strong, it’s not even gonna be difficult.”

He leaves out the part where he’s unsure if Junmyeon might be strong enough to pull Chanyeol away from the leviathan’s jaws- he knows it wouldn’t reassure him at all, to even entertain all these scenarios. And it is nerve-wracking, to send his boyfriend into the danger zone, and it doesn’t sit right with him. But there’s nothing he can do, besides volunteer himself, and then it would be Chanyeol thinking these same thoughts.

Chanyeol has stripped down completely, since there’s really no need for modesty here. The rope is tied tight around his waist, looped around his thighs as well, to guarantee he won’t slip out of it too easily. In his hand, he’s holding the biggest knife they could find in the village- sending him into the waves empty handed seemed just too stupid, even if they have no idea what the blade might do against the monster anyway.

“Please be careful,” Baekhyun urges him as they approach the waterline. He takes Chanyeol’s hand and kisses the heel of it, before tiptoeing up to kiss him on the lips. He can’t savor it how he wants to, not with Junmyeon watching as keenly as always, but he knows that he’s only stalling. “I love you. I love you so much.”

“Don’t be silly, it’s just a swim,” Chanyeol tries to play brave, even though there’s a clear tremor to his voice. He swoops down to kiss Baekhyun again, and then gingerly pats Junmyeon’s cheek, before stepping into the water, letting the waves wash over his toes, his ankles. Junmyeon is holding onto the rope with his knuckles white, and Chanyeol has to lean into it to gain more slack as he wades deeper into the water. Baekhyun would tell Junmyeon to give him more leeway instead of making him work for it, but in this instance, keeping the rope as short as possible is the only thing that gives him any peace of mind. He’s holding onto the rope behind Junmyeon, to act as an anchor. And his heart does feel like a piece of steel, cold and heavy in his chest, watching Chanyeol’s back as he walks further and further away from them.

“Woah, it gets steeper really quickly over here,” he calls out after a while when his head suddenly bobs lower, before he retraces his steps. “I think this is where the ship washed up with us, or a little to the west.”

Baekhyun drew the shoreline on the piece of paper earlier, and he crouches down to add a mark to the correct spot, approximately where Chanyeol was standing. “Good for the boat, not good for this. Please come closer to the shore, if it really falls off there then it’s gonna be deep enough for the loch ness as well.”

He didn’t even need to say that, for Chanyeol has already moved closer to the beach, now walking parallel with it. Baekhyun can barely breathe, with how concentrated he is, watching the water around Chanyeol, looking for any sign of the monster coming near. It must have heard them, it must be aware of what they’re doing.

They really have no idea of how smart it might actually be. There’s a good chance that there are people catching fish on the other side of the island, so it should have to guard two places at once. But might it be clever enough to know that people never wade deeper into the water in the fishing grounds? Would it know, from years of experience, that it has nothing to watch out for over there? Could it be able to understand that this is where it should focus on, this is where something strange and unheard of is happening?

It’s just a big fish, Baekhyun tries to reason with himself as he draws another mark on the rough map, as per Chanyeol’s instructions. Fish are stupid. There’s no way it could be that clever.

But then, it has lived this long. It has kept anyone from escaping the island for just as long, and it has also avoided capture by any fishing boats nearby. It has gone completely undetected, much like the island itself. It doesn’t seem like the doings of a brainless squid.

“It’s a little less steep here, and I think it stays shallow for a while too, but I think it’s not shallow enough.” Chanyeol backs away again, before he carries on. Junmyeon and Baekhyun follow him, to keep the distance as short as possible. “It would be too risky.”

Baekhyun indicates the spot on paper with a hasty scribble. They can’t send anyone into waters where the leviathan might be able to reach them, even with its tentacles. “Can you see it? Is there any movement around you?” he calls out. Being afraid is one thing, but enduring it for this long, he feels a little dizzy with it. The temptation to just tell Chanyeol to get out of the water is growing harder to resist with each passing moment.

“I can’t see it,” Chanyeol replies, taking brisk steps. “The water’s too fucking murky.” He’s in waist deep, using his hands to help push himself through the waves. “Hold on, I think I found a better spot.”

“I don’t like this,” Junmyeon practically whimpers, and Baekhyun wholeheartedly agrees. “Me neither,” he murmurs, feeling the rope slip through his fingers as Chanyeol walks further away from them once more, testing the waters. At least the water stays at around his waist, rather than rising rapidly. “This was such a stupid idea. I fucking hate having to do this.”

They shouldn’t have to. Shouldn’t have to weigh their options like this, make decisions between life and death like this.

Yet here they are.

“Ooh, this looks good,” Chanyeol yells at them over his shoulder. He’s gotten much further, though taking cautious steps now, yet the water still hasn’t come up much higher. “I think it goes on for a like a dozen meters, I think, this higher ridge! This is bloody amazing, we’ll have more than enough space to spread out the net!”

Chanyeol splashes the water in excitement, and Baekhyun is just about to tell him to return to the shore when several tentacles shoot out of the water and reach for Chanyeol. Baekhyun screams, the most guttural sound he’s ever made, and Chanyeol falls back, away from the tentacles, feet kicking and hands flailing as he makes to turn and start to swim to safety, the tentacles moving wildly around him, reaching for him, beating the surface of the water as they try to find him.

“Junmyeon, pull!”

Junmyeon snaps into action, digging his heels into the rocky sand as he begins to tug on the rope, veins prominent in his arms as he races to pull Chanyeol out of the water in time. Baekhyun can’t do much to help, not that he could even concentrate- his eyes searching for any sign of Chanyeol, amidst the water and rapidly moving tentacles that rise out of the water like wicked mountains or angry ghosts, hungry for something to feed on.

“No!”

Junmyeon almost falls on his face as something tugs back on the rope, and then Baekhyun sees it- a tentacle, curled around Chanyeol’s arm, pulling him back towards the ocean, its massive suction cups the size of Chanyeol’s head, the tip of the long tentacle like a slithering snake as it tries to make its way to Chanyeol’s neck, to his torso, to get a better grip, to strangle, to tear apart.

Baekhyun throws his weight on top of Junmyeon, to anchor him down. They both slide on the rocks, towards the waves, with how strong the creature is, no matter how hard they fight it, Junmyeon’s entire body braced in an effort to keep his hold on the rope. Rocks and sand are kicked up into the air around them, as Junmyeon tries to dig his heels in, tries to find his footing again.

Baekhyun is already sure they’re going to keep sliding in until they also end up in the ocean, when there’s a sudden release of the tension. Turning his head, he sees the reason why- the dagger Chanyeol took with him now stung deep into the flesh of the tentacle, blood the color of rusty iron gushing out of the wound. He can hear Chanyeol cursing, but he can also hear the pain and the fear in his voice- and he realizes they could rip him into pieces, this deadly tug of war, an outcome possibly almost worse than death itself.

This brief moment of relief, as the monster tries to get its bearings, gives Junmyeon a chance to secure his footing again, now leaning back, his feet on a bigger rock, pulling with all of his strength, teeth gritted and lips curled back as he slowly pulls the rope back, Chanyeol’s arm sliding out of the tentacle’s grip just a little. “Baekhyun,” he spit out, breathing heavy, “Wind the rope around something! Something heavy, quick!”

Baekhyun scrambles for the rope, his hands shaky as he grabs the end of it and throws himself at the nearest big rock, winding the length around it to anchor it properly. “It’s done, it’s done,” he screams, and looks over at Chanyeol again. Chanyeol is kicking wildly, to avoid the other tentacles reaching for him, and he stabs at the monster once again, drags the blade through its flesh. Junmyeon yanks on the rope, and Chanyeol almost slips loose out of the creature’s grip but it tightens its hold again at the last moment. Chanyeol cries out- it must hurt immensely, to be torn in half like this, now held up in the air only by his wrist as the monster refuses to let go of him.

Rushing back to Junmyeon, Baekhyun grabs onto the rope with him. “Give him some slack,” he yells, hoping that Chanyeol would be able to hear as well. “Loosen the rope, just a little- he needs to be able to reach it, he needs to cut the whole thing off!”

“That’s a terrible idea,” Junmyeon screams back at him, looking at him with wide, fearful eyes. “We can’t!”

“We have to. There’s no other way!” Baekhyun tells him, firmly. “Chanyeol-ah, we’ll let go of the rope so you can swing forward! Strike then, cut off the tentacle!”

He can’t be sure that Chanyeol has heard him, but there’s no time to make sure. “On the count to three,” he yells at the top of his lungs. He’s so afraid- so, so afraid, but this is the only idea he has, the only solution his panicked mind can provide. “One, two, three!”

Junmyeon lets go of the rope, then, and the release of tension has Chanyeol swinging forward. He uses the momentum to pull himself up and brings the blade down in one big, sweeping motion, cutting the tip of the tentacle off clean. He falls down into the water with a loud yell, sinking beyond the surface, and Junmyeon and Baekhyun hurry to grab the rope again, to pull him back to the shore, back to safety.

The monster thrashes about wildly, blood spewing from the end of the cut off tentacle. It’s furious, it’s hurt, and it’s determined to catch the one who did it. Junmyeon’s hands move so fast as he pulls on the rope, pulls Chanyeol closer to them, racing against the monster, with a terrible, ugly grimace on his face, teeth bared and the veins in his arms pronounced.

“There he is,” Baekhyun points at the waves. Chanyeol is being dragged through the water unceremoniously, his arms flailing as he tries to keep his head above the water, but it’s him, and oh how Baekhyun hopes that he’s already safe in the shallow water, out of the reach of the monster.

Suddenly, the leviathan leaps out of the water. There’s nothing majestic about its hideous carcass as it throws itself up; it’s unshapely body, resembling a dead whale both in size and color, its massive tentacles beating the water, reaching around wildly, blindly, searching for something to hold onto. But it’s in vain- Chanyeol’s head pops out of the water as he finally reaches the beach, and Junmyeon drops the rope to run to him, to grab him and carry him out of the water for the rest of the way.

They escaped the leviathan, for the second time.

This time, however, only barely.

Baekhyun is too relieved to see Chanyeol back on the shore that at first, he doesn’t see it- the trickle of blood, running down his hand, soon turning into a gush of red as there’s no more water to wash it away.

“Chanyeol,” he cries out, running up to him and Junmyeon. Chanyeol is so tall but he’s never seemed so small as he does now, in Junmyeon’s arms- even his lips have gone white, and he’s trembling visibly, coughing and struggling to breathe, fighting for air like he’s still in the water.

Junmyeon lays him down on the sand and Baekhyun kneels down beside him, takes his hand into his to inspect it. It’s hard to see at first, with the amount of blood covering everything, but as he frantically runs his fingers along Chanyeol’s hand to feel for the injury, he immediately realizes what has happened-

the upper half of his forefinger is gone.

Baekhyun, although wild with fear and adrenaline still, at least doesn’t panic. At sea, injuries like this aren’t wholly uncommon; they have to deal with all kinds of machinery, and there are many things that can go wrong and when that happens, you don’t have a medic at hand. You only have your other crewmembers, to patch you up again.

Without thinking, he pulls his shirt off to wrap it around Chanyeol’s hand as best as he can, applying pressure on the open wound, while holding his arm up to help stop the bleeding faster. “It’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be okay,” he murmurs, peering over at Chanyeol. And now, what he thought was just the aftereffects of intense fear, register as signs of shock- the absolute worst thing that could happen right now. “Hey, listen to my voice. Listen to me. It’s gonna be okay. It’s over now, you’re safe. You’re okay. We’re gonna fix you up, good as new.”

Chanyeol’s teeth are chattering, but he nods anyway, chest heaving as he struggles to breathe slower. He knows just as well as Baekhyun what needs to be done, that he needs to stay calm. “It hurts like a motherfucker,” he says, voice hoarse. “Fuck, it hurts so fucking bad.”

“It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay,” Baekhyun repeats this mantra, and then turns to look at Junmyeon. But anything that he was going to ask him, tell him, it all just disappears, as Junmyeon’s expression fully registers with him.

Junmyeon is breathing heavily, nostrils flared and upper lip curled up, jaw tense. His eyes are huge and black like the night sky, fixated on Chanyeol’s hand, his arm where the droplets of blood cascade down. He looks more like a wild animal than ever before, a little crazed even, unhinged, his posture and his expression making Baekhyun recoil from him and then angling his body as to protect Chanyeol from him.

“Junmyeon,” he calls out his name, but all he gets in response is a guttural growl that resonates deep within Junmyeon’s chest. And as he blinks, he could swear that Junmyeon’s entire face transforms into something horrid, something he’s only ever seen in nightmares, but just as quickly it’s gone, as Junmyeon turns away and breaks out into a full sprint, running away from them as fast as he can, much faster than Baekhyun has ever seen anyone run before.

But there’s no time. There’s no time to think, to get hung up on things. He needs to tend to Chanyeol, needs to get the bleeding under control.

Chanyeol’s eyes are closed, and he has no idea how much he heard, how much he understood. “Chanyeol, look at me,” he tells him sternly, anxious to make sure he remains alert. “It’s not a big wound, Chanyeol, you’re going to be okay. You’re going to be just fine. I’m just gonna keep applying pressure and hold it up like this, until you stop bleeding. It’s okay. You’re okay.”

Chanyeol blinks his eyes open, nods his head. “I hit my hand when I cut off the tentacle,” he mutters, swallowing thickly. “I couldn’t feel a thing at first, I guess I was so fucking pumped up with adrenaline, but fuck, it hurts so bad, Hyun-ah…”

“I know, I know.” This is bad news, really bad news. The risk of infection, with no modern medicine to take care of this… Baekhyun doesn’t want to catastrophize, but he knows that this is no good news. Losing half of his finger is one thing, but this could lead to him losing his entire arm, his life even- no antibiotics, no way to sterilize anything properly, no painkillers, this is the worst thing that could have happened.

“Baekhyunnie… I have to ask you.” Chanyeol coughs, turns his head to spit. “Did I… Did I cut the finger off? Is it gone? Because it hurts… It doesn’t feel right.”

It feels like a bad idea to tell him, and Baekhyun is scared of Chanyeol going into shock if he finds out the truth, but he cannot lie. Chanyeol would be able to tell, anyway.

“You cut half of it off,” he murmurs, reaching down to stroke Chanyeol’s wet forehead. “Down to the second knuckle. But it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay, I promise. It’s not so bad.”  
Chanyeol inhales sharply, but then he steels himself, brows furrowed into something fierce. He knew what Baekhyun was going to say- he could tell.

“It’s okay, it’s just my left hand,” he says through gritted teeth, as Baekhyun adjusts his grip on the stump of his finger. There’s so much blood- it has seeped through his shirt completely, and Baekhyun is starting to feel a little sick looking at it, smelling it. But he knows this is all he can do; hold steady, and wait. “It’s not like I use it for anything, right?”

“Don’t be silly,” Baekhyun tells him. “It’s just one finger, it’s gonna heal and be good as new. Don’t act dramatic over it.”

Chanyeol reaches for his free hand, and squeezes it tightly, bringing their clasped hands to his chest. He holds Baekhyun’s gaze for a long time, their breaths slowing down until they’re breathing in sync with one another. “Don’t blame yourself for this,” Chanyeol says, his tone dead serious. “We both knew it was going to be risky, no matter who went into the water. We both knew it had to be done, too. So don’t feel guilty. Something much worse could have happened, but it didn’t, and it’s gonna be okay. Just how you said.”

Baekhyun tries to blink his tears away, but they’re stubborn, and keep coming back until they finally spill over. “I love you so much,” he whispers, and kisses Chanyeol’s hand even despite the blood. Kisses it over and over again, because he can’t fully embrace him right now, can’t hold him how he wants to. “I don’t know what I would have done- if we hadn’t gotten you free.”

Not in one piece- but they got him back.

“You saved me.” Chanyeol sounds almost serene saying that. Then, he looks around. “You both did- where’s Junmyeon?”

So he didn’t realize what happened just a moment ago. Baekhyun’s brain is so scrambled that it already feels like it happened hours ago, and it takes him a brief moment to get his wits about him. “He, uh, I think he ran off to get supplies,” he lies, and he’s not sure why. Why is he lying? Why not tell Chanyeol what happened?

He has no answer to that.

Chanyeol closes his eyes, tries to relax despite how much pain he’s in, how uncomfortable he must be. “I’m gonna thank him when he comes back,” he mutters, exhausted now. “I’m going to kiss you, and I might even kiss him too. Just to say how grateful I am.”

“You do that,” Baekhyun replies, but inside him, there’s this nagging feeling that won’t go away.

Whatever came over Junmyeon- whatever made him freak out like that, it wasn’t good.

*****

They remain like this for a long time, before Baekhyun is finally brave enough to lift up his hand and pull away the fabric to really look at what’s going on with Chanyeol’s finger. “You might wanna look away,” he warns him beforehand. “I don’t want you to pass out.”

“Who’s to say you’re not gonna pass out,” Chanyeol grumbles, but closes his eyes anyway.

And honestly, Baekhyun has no idea how he’ll cope, but he peels away the shirt anyway, to take a look.

It is gory. It is horrifying to look at- but the edges are clean, and he can’t see any reason why he would have to touch it any further besides cleaning it and bandaging it. But for that, they’re going to need clean water.

“We have to get you back to the village.” The very thought of walking all the way back worries Baekhyun, but they have no choice. They have to make it back before sunset, and he doubts Chanyeol will be able to walk at usual speed- if at all. “We have to get there before dark.”

“I know,” Chanyeol mumbles with a heavy sigh. Slowly, he pushes himself up from the sand, and takes a long pause, blinking slowly. “’M a little woozy,” he says, and Baekhyun can tell- he’s pale, even his lips a ghostly shade of pale pink, and there’s the faintest sheen of cold sweat on his brow. “We didn’t bring anything to eat, did we?”

“Not really, no.” Baekhyun kisses his forehead to try and reassure him. “Let’s get you dressed, and take it slow. We have time. We can take as many breaks as you need.”

At least all of Chanyeol’s clothes are clean, and Baekhyun helps him into them. He slips underneath Chanyeol’s healthy arm to help him walk, with an arm around his waist for support. Chanyeol is already leaning on him, however, and Baekhyun’s heart sinks just thinking about the long way back.

If he trusted the villagers, he could consider running back on his own to bring someone with him, enough people to carry Chanyeol home. But he doesn’t, he realizes- he really doesn’t trust them, any of them, besides Junmyeon.

Furthermore, he doesn’t know how he might be able to leave Chanyeol behind in this state.

The silence of the forest is just as threatening and imposing as always, as they leave the beach and the vegetation around them swallows up all sound. It’s just them, their heavy footsteps, labored breathing, as they struggle to walk forward, one step at a time, agonizingly slow. The path has gotten more worn down, as they’ve been walking back and forth daily, so it’s a little easier to walk, although that’s really no consolation.

“Heard something, to our right,” Chanyeol whispers, although he doesn’t lift up his gaze from the path, concentrating all his effort on placing one foot in front of the other. “A branch snapped, or something.”

“You’re hearing things,” Baekhyun refutes him, but then, he can hear it- no, feel it. Someone watching, someone following them, being careful not to get caught.  
There are no animals in this forest. Only people, which only makes it scarier somehow.

There’s no way they could run away, now. There’s no way they could defend themselves.

“It’s coming closer.”

“Shut up,” Baekhyun hisses at him, as though pretending this isn’t happening would somehow make it go away. As if pretending they haven’t noticed would make the person turn away. “Shut. Up.”

Chanyeol presses his lips together, but him quieting down only makes the sound that more noticeable, that more pronounced.

Baekhyun’s patience has been worn so very, very thin today. Suppressing fear, trying to cope with it, and then witnessing Chanyeol almost get eaten alive, see him get so terribly injured; he just can’t do this anymore.

If it’s going to chase them, if it’s going to hurt them, then he’s not going to just wait for it. He changes his mind; wishing it away isn’t going to work, so he’s going to run into it, head first, and see if he comes out alive on the other side.

“Junmyeon, I swear to god, if that’s you I’m gonna twist your fucking neck for creeping around again. Quit fucking around and show yourself,” he calls out, raising his voice despite how frightening it is to have it echo around them, alerting anyone nearby as to where they are. “Stop being a lunatic, okay? Stop stalking us already.”

The rustling pauses, and then grows more frantic, the sound now coming towards them more clearly. All sorts of images flash through Baekhyun’s mind in that moment- it could be the crazed man from before, or anyone from the village, enraged that he spoke to them so rudely, he just doesn’t have any idea.

But then- out of the trees, emerges Junmyeon. There’s still something very wild and frightening about him, almost like all of his features have changed into something fiercer and more animalistic, and hidden away his mellow, amicable face. It’s hard to explain- it’s his sharp eyes, his tense mouth, pronounced jaw, it’s something _ugly_ and _hideous_ Baekhyun can’t put his finger on, something he’s never seen in Junmyeon before.

“For fuck’s sake, Junmyeon,” he sighs. Something in him tells him to act as though nothing’s wrong- just talk to him like usual. “We told you not to do this kind of thing, you know? It’s really fucking scary. Come over here and help me bring Chanyeol to the village, we need to get him home before it gets dark.”

Junmyeon seems to really think it over, before he moves again, towards them, like a big cat on the hunt, his features almost incomprehensible. It would put Baekhyun on edge but he’s simply too tired- he just wants to take Chanyeol home, to the safest place on this island.

It’s not saying much.

Wordlessly, Junmyeon stands in front of Chanyeol, and leans forward ever so slightly. When neither Baekhyun or Chanyeol understand what he wants, he clears his throat, rearranges his tongue in his mouth. “Get on my back,” he says, in the same hoarse voice that Baekhyun heard him use when the man attacked him. It feels eerie, to hear it come out of Junmyeon’s mouth instead of his usual, pleasant sound.

Chanyeol tries to argue against it, but Baekhyun doesn’t bother. He saw with his own eyes how Junmyeon pulled Chanyeol out of the water, all on his own; like all the islanders, he’s much stronger than what meets the eye. “Go on, do as he says,” he tells Chanyeol, and guides Chanyeol’s arms to go over Junmyeon’s shoulders, taps his leg to tell him jump up. Chanyeol clumsily does and Junmyeon takes on his weight like it’s nothing. He starts towards the village at such speed that Baekhyun feels like he should break into a jog to keep up.

It’s almost comical, the way tall, big Chanyeol fits onto Junmyeon’s back, legs dangling down low, Junmyeon’s slender legs moving quickly to carry him.

Junmyeon mutters something that Baekhyun doesn’t quite catch, but Chanyeol brings his injured hand away from Junmyeon’s shoulder and curls it against his chest, in between their bodies. Baekhyun shoots him a look but Chanyeol just flashes him a small smile, before closing his eyes.

It’s instinctual to tell him to stay awake, but Baekhyun tries to let that urge go. There’s no reason why Chanyeol shouldn’t rest. The bleeding has stopped, and everything is going to be okay. Baekhyun rubs his back up and down, gently, to comfort both Chanyeol and himself.

Close to the village, Junmyeon speaks again, this time more in his own voice. “We will have to go around the village, rather than straight through it,” he says, as he steps off the path and heads west without hesitation. All Baekhyun can do is follow him.

“But why? Why can’t we go through? It would be quicker,” he protests, but Junmyeon just shakes his head at this.

“We don’t want anyone to see or smell the blood,” he mutters under his breath, and how could Baekhyun even begin to argue with that?

The last few meters to the house Junmyeon nearly runs, Baekhyun struggling to keep up with him, only stopping once they’ve made it through the front door and it’s securely closed behind them.

“Bring Chanyeol to the main room, I need to boil water in the kitchen to clean the wound,” Baekhyun instructs him. As soon as he’s done that, though, Junmyeon immediately backs away towards the entrance, a strange look in his eyes.

“It would be best if I wasn’t here.” He’s already almost at the door, allowing no time for objections. “I’ll be close by. I’ll be… I will return, once you’ve done away with all of this.” The door closes behind him with a heavy thud.

How Baekhyun wishes that he could just… do away with this all. But there’s no such thing; he has to face it, all of it, head on, even when it’s all too much to handle.

And so, he walks into the kitchen to start the fire. Even though it’s hard, even though he wants to just curl up in Chanyeol’s arms and cry together over their miserable situation, he keeps moving. It’s all he can do. Just focus on surviving.


	5. Chapter 5

Turns out that taking care of an injury of this scale isn’t exactly easy or simple.

Cleaning the wound alone is hard- Baekhyun has to straddle Chanyeol’s arm, leaning his weight back slightly against his torso, to keep him still as he meticulously cleanses out the wound with boiled water and clean rags. Chanyeol screams through it, howls in pain louder than Baekhyun has ever heard him, and it pains him emotionally in ways he can’t even begin to put into words. That he has to do this to him. Chanyeol kicks with his feet and flails with his other arm, though he’s trying his very hardest to let Baekhyun do what he must. It’s just that the pain he’s in is beyond measure, now that the adrenaline has all worn off and all he’s left with is sheer exhaustion.

The only reason why he can push through it is the knowledge that he’s helping him, even if right now it’s pure agony for both of them.

He thinks about stitching the wound closed, but then realizes just how impossible that would be. There’s nothing to numb the pain with, and he shudders even thinking about how big the women’s needles must be. There’s no way he could put Chanyeol through that, unless absolutely necessary.

So, instead, he wraps the finger in cloth, and sets Chanyeol’s hand down after kissing his palm repeatedly. He dreads to face him, but when he steels himself and turns around, Chanyeol only offers him a feeble smile, his pale lips trembling despite his best effort to fake it.

“I’m so sorry,” Baekhyun murmurs, brushing Chanyeol’s sweaty bangs back. He’s all clammy, and it sits ill with Baekhyun- how he wishes he knew more about these things, had listened and learned more when he had the chance. He should be more prepared than this, and he hates that he isn’t.

He hates that this happened.

“Don’t be,” Chanyeol is quick to say, shaking his head. “It was a risk we were both willing to take, and you know it. And it wasn’t in vain. We now know where to spread out the net for the Kraken on steroids.”

“Don’t talk so much, I want you to be resting,” Baekhyun scolds him. His heart simply can’t take this conversation right now- can’t bear to listen to Chanyeol trying to convince him that it’s alright. That this isn’t really as bad as it seems. That he’s somehow okay with this.

And it speaks to Chanyeol’s exhaustion and pain that he does stay quiet while Baekhyun cooks dinner, while he sets up the table, while Baekhyun helps him eat and drink. It’s only his left hand that was injured, but Baekhyun feels the need to baby him, to coddle him, and Chanyeol doesn’t fight it, doesn’t resist it at all, just lets him tend to him.

“Is it really painful?” Baekhyun carefully asks once he’s gotten Chanyeol comfortable in bed. The bandages are turning a pink hue already, but he has no idea if it might be for the best to change them now or leave the wound be so it gets a chance to stop bleeding. He simply doesn’t know, and it bothers him more now than ever before.

“It throbs every time I move.” Chanyeol glances at his hand, but it’s obviously very difficult for him, even with the cloth covering the stump of his finger. “I think I’ll be able to sleep… for as long as I manage to stay still.”

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun says again, automatic. He regrets everything, feels so guilty for this, that every inconvenience to Chanyeol feels like his personal fault. “I think we should keep it elevated, too… It’s not gonna be comfortable to sleep, but I don’t know what else to do. I’ll ask around tomorrow if there might be any medicine or alcohol around, that could at least take the edge off.”

“I think the alcohol should be used for the wound, and not internally,” Chanyeol says with yet another weak smile, reaching for Baekhyun to pull him down beside him. “It’s not a massive wound, Baekhyunnie. I’ll be alright, I promise. I’ll take it easy until it closes properly, and then I’ll be good as new.”

But come morning, he’s really not any better.

Changing out the bandages is an even worse ordeal than it was the night before. Baekhyun is careful in how he soaks off the crusted blood and fluids to take off the cloth, but it’s still partially stuck, and he can figure out no other way of doing it besides tearing it off where it won’t lift off easily. Chanyeol is trying his hardest to bite back his screams but he simply can’t- Baekhyun has to really use his strength to hold him down, even as he fights his own urge to vomit, seeing how the wound has taken on a sicklier color, how blood and clear fluids run out of almost how it bled yesterday. Forcing his loved one to go through something so horrible feels twice as bad doing it the second time around, and he flees to the kitchen to hide the way he’s crying once he’s done dressing the wound once more.

“I’ll go out and ask around for supplies,” he says when he has gathered himself a little, emerging from the kitchen. “We’re gonna need more stuff to take care of you properly… I’ll try and find Junmyeon.”

Chanyeol nods, but keeps his eyes closed. He hasn’t moved an inch from the floor, where Baekhyun left him. “I’ll be here,” he mumbles, and drapes his right arm over his eyes. “Check up on the ladies. How the net is coming along.”

Baekhyun couldn’t care less about it right now, but he knows that it still matters.

That if Chanyeol’s injury takes a turn for the worse, they really need to get out of here to make sure he doesn’t lose his arm, doesn’t lose his life.

It’s with a heavy heart that he leaves the house. It feels so wrong to not have Chanyeol by his side; it’s startling to realize that they haven’t been apart even for mere moments ever since they were stranded here. Sticking together was and is the only thing that makes sense, that gives them any sense of safety, and where would they even go alone on this godforsaken island? There’s nothing to do, nothing to see, nowhere to go, except making the trip between the house and their ship.

People are staring at him even more than before, and Baekhyun knows why. They’re hardly ever seen in the village during the day, and they must be questioning why he’s on his own. Where Chanyeol might be. But somehow, it feels more sinister than that- the way they take steps closer to him as if drawn to him by some wicked force, their nostrils flared, their upper lips curled upwards.

Baekhyun walks faster, and keeps his head down, tries to fight against the urge to tense every muscle in his body, to curl his fingers into fists, to run.

Since Junmyeon is nowhere in sight, he decides to fulfill Chanyeol’s request first, and heads over to where they left the women detangling the nets yesterday. They’re all still there, hunched over their work, singing the same quiet tune. It seems as though they’ve made great progress so far; there’s a neat bundle of nets placed aside, folded over like giant sheets, weighed down with rocks so the wind wouldn’t pick them up and mess them up again. There’s still much left to do, however, and detangling is really only the first, laborious step in the process.

Upon his arrival, all the women look up, pausing in their work though none of them greet him or otherwise acknowledge him, besides staring at him in startling silence. Baekhyun feels so vulnerable, just standing there, as the center of this unwanted attention.

“I, uh, just wanted to see how you guys are getting along.” To call this awkward would be an understatement, although this also feels more nefarious than just that. Like he’s a small deer facing down a pack of wolves- he doesn’t know why that image comes to his mind, but it seems all too fitting. “With the net, I mean. Looks like you’ve gotten quite a bit done already. That’s… really nice…” His voice just fades away, as no one reacts to his words. The tension is growing more palpable, like a rope tightening around his chest, but Baekhyun cannot say which way it’s pulling, which way it’s going to go; whether it’ll pull him to safety, or pin him in place for the wolves to feast on.

Suddenly it’s just too unbearable to stay here. To stand there and withstand this growing sense of threat. He clears his throat, and takes a step away, his feet moving on their own accord. “So, uh, keep it up! I think we can, uh, start working on sewing the pieces together tomorrow with the amount that you’ve already got done, so, that’s great! Superb. But also don’t sweat it, like, it doesn’t have to be tomorrow anyways. So, yeah. I’ll get going now, to, uh, get things done myself. You’ve worked hard.”

He retreats away with a hasty bow, and scuttles away as quickly as he can without breaking into a full sprint. He can feel the eyes on his back, can feel the rope growing even tighter, but he refuses to look back, for he’s terrified of what he might see if he did.

“Baekhyun!”

The voice calling out to him makes him startled enough, but when an arm wraps around his shoulders, he nearly pisses himself in his terror. It takes him a moment to recognize who approached him- it’s not Junmyeon, but teacher Choe, with his amicable smile and beady eyes, although there’s a certain tightness about his features that is common among the villagers. In their stunted emotional range it appears to mean heightened tension, like nervousness, anxiety, or hiding something beneath the surface.

It’s impossible to say which one it might be, and Baekhyun is tired of the guessing games.

“Teacher Choe,” he murmurs back in greeting, having regained his bearings. “Have you seen Junmyeon around this morning? I was sort of looking for him.”

“He isn’t with you two? How strange. As of late, he appears to be attached to you at the hip,” teacher Choe comments off-handedly. “I’m afraid I have not seen him today. Why? Is there something you need? Where is Chanyeol? Is he at the boat, perhaps?”

Baekhyun is quick to shake his head. “No, in fact he’s in the house, resting.” he replies. “We had a bit of an… incident yesterday.” He doesn’t quite know how to explain it- how to put into words what they did yesterday in all its stupidity. It might have been necessary, but it was also incredibly foolish.

Teacher Choe’s smile falters. “Is he hurt? I thought that there was something…” he says in a low voice. He breathes in deeply through his nose, and shakes his head. “Is he bleeding a lot?”

“A little bit,” Baekhyun admits. “We’re working on it. That’s why I wanted to find Junmyeon. We need more supplies to… take care of him.”

The nod he gets in response is curt, and teacher Choe uses his grip on Baekhyun’s shoulders to steer him back towards the house, walking more briskly now. “You mustn’t let anyone know that he’s been hurt,” he says, now speaking in a hushed whisper. “It would not… The people would be terribly disappointed, if they thought it might slow things down. So they cannot know about it, do you understand? Stay inside with him. Burn every piece of cloth that you use. People might… There’s an old wives’ tale about blood being toxic. You must… cleanse all of it carefully.” He says this with great urgency, breathing heavier, and Baekhyun doesn’t know what to make of it but to nod and agree.

“I will do that,” he promises. “But we will need more bandages. We need things for his pain, for the wound. Medicine. Things like that. Can Junmyeon bring me some? We really need them, so badly.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” teacher Choe says, but it doesn’t appear as though he’s really listening as he ushers Baekhyun back home. “Just remember, no one ought to know- no one can know about this, alright? We do not want to stir any trouble in the village… People are so on edge, as you probably know, impatiently waiting for the good news. We cannot give them any bad ones, not right now. I will tell them that… you are resting, preparing a plan for taking on the leviathan. While the women complete the net. Yes?”

“Sounds good,” Baekhyun mumbles. He doesn’t care at all what teacher Choe tells everyone else, although it’s not quite right. That this is something they have to lie about. Keep secret. Hide all evidence of it, go even as far as burning the rags that have been touched by blood. It’s what Junmyeon said as well, but at the time, Baekhyun was too frazzled to even think anything of it. But it bothers him now.

But it’s whatever. Nothing on this island ever makes sense, so it’s best to not think about it too hard.

Teacher Choe bids him goodbye at the door, assuring him that he’ll find Junmyeon as fast as he can, and Baekhyun is grateful to be rid of him, have the door close between them. The man’s behavior was starting to freak him out, all that nervous energy, the barely concealed anxiety about something. When his stress levels are already this high, he doesn’t need anyone else to add to it.

Chanyeol is fast asleep on the living room floor, and so all Baekhyun can do is do as he promised; he burns the pieces of cloth in the fire in the kitchen, makes sure to scrub clean the floor where any was spilt while changing out the bandages.

It’s the kind of work that makes his blood boil with frustration. That this is something he even has to do- that they’re stuck in a situation where this is their reality. That this had to happen to them.

It doesn’t make any sense. None of this does. But yet, no matter how crazy and wild and stupid this all is, it’s still so very real.

Unless he’s somehow gone so insane that he’s simply imagining this all. It’s a possibility- and not entirely unwelcome. It would be awful, to find out that this is just all in his head, but at least… at least it wouldn’t be real. The monster, the villagers, Chanyeol being hurt. At least it would have never happened. Discovering that he’s lost his sanity like this would be almost worth it. It really would.

He stares down at his hands, the blood underneath his fingernails, the callouses, the veins running across the backs of his hands. If this is just a hallucination… then he can never be sure of what is real and what isn’t. If this is something his mind can create, then he can never, ever trust himself, again.

It makes him a little nauseous to think about, so he shuts it out.

The only thing that matters is survival.

With no clock, he has no real idea of how long it takes for Junmyeon to arrive. His signal is just his usual, quiet knock, but it still jerks him out of his darkened thoughts like a rope pulling him to the surface. Junmyeon’s expression, however, is grave- his lips pursed together tightly, his shoulders up high and tense. He has a small bundle in his arms that he hands over to Baekhyun, and lurks behind him as though he’s scared of something inside the house, as Baekhyun invites him to come in. His eyes are wide as saucers when he sees Chanyeol, and his throat works up and down, a quiet gurgle emitting from his mouth although he doesn’t appear conscious of it.

“Stop acting all weird, you’re creeping me out,” Baekhyun tells him, his patience entirely too thin for these shenanigans, and Junmyeon just quirks an eyebrow at him. Baekhyun ignores him, and goes to sit on the floor, to sort through the goodies Junmyeon brought him.

It’s a big bundle of bandages, and a weird assortment of medicine. Some of it is in traditional pottery, thus probably prepared by someone in the village, while some are modern pill bottles, some glass, some plastic, with washed out labels.

It’s easy to tell that these are all from various emergency kits from washed up ships, as it’s mostly painkillers, and some varieties of antibiotics. Baekhyun carefully inspects each bottle, but to his disappointment all of them are out of date. For the painkillers, he’s not going to worry about it- Chanyeol is in so much pain that even expired pills will do, but the antibiotics are different. He wouldn’t dare testing them on him- they could actually more do harm than good. Or so he figures, because what does he know about any of this.

Junmyeon sits quietly by his side, hugging his knees to his chest, peering at Chanyeol and then staring at Baekhyun. “Is he… Is he going to be alright?” he finally asks, a question that has evidently been weighing on his mind for a long time. “Is he… Will he heal?”

Baekhyun glances at Chanyeol, to make sure he’s still asleep. “He will,” he replies, but he’s not sure how convincing that sounds. “I’m not amazing at all this, but I think… It should be alright. It’s not a massive injury, just shocking. I have to keep it clean and that should be enough.”

Junmyeon nods thoughtfully, and inches a little bit closer to him, closer to Chanyeol. “If it had been me, it would be much better,” he says, completely taking Baekhyun by surprise. “I wouldn’t hurt so much… I would heal better.” He awkwardly pats Chanyeol’s arm, clumsy, although clearly trying his hardest to be gentle. It’s like watching a two-year-old comfort someone.

His words bring back the memory of seeing injured Junmyeon the day after Baekhyun was attacked; how he clearly had been hurt, but how the bruises and the cuts looked like they were days old. How quickly they all vanished from Junmyeon’s skin, in the following days.

So maybe he really wouldn’t hurt as much. Maybe he really would heal better.

“Me and Chanyeol wouldn’t have been able to pull you out of the water as fast as you pulled him,” is what he chooses to say instead of commenting on Junmyeon’s superior healing skills. “You might have gotten killed, rather than just hurt like him. And then what? We would have been very, very sad.”

Junmyeon’s lips form a silent ‘o’ as he stares at him in surprise. “You would have… you would have been sad?” He asks this so reverently, like the word itself is somehow sacred. “Would you really?”

“Of course.” Baekhyun nudges him gently. In a way, this conversation is much like talking to a toddler, too- but he doesn’t mind. Doesn’t mind how stunted Junmyeon can be, when it comes to emotions and expressing them. No one on this island seems very adept at it, so how could he have learned? “You’re very important to us, Junmyeon. You’ve helped us a lot, you’ve saved our lives, you’ve cared for us. Of course we would be sad to lose you.”

There’s a minute tremor to Junmyeon’s bottom lip. “Would you have… leaked for me?” And the way he says it, Baekhyun can’t even smile at it, even though it’s such a silly question to ask, such a laughable way to phrase it when usually, Junmyeon is much more eloquent than either one of them.

“Yeah, we would have cried, too,” he replies, and squeezes Junmyeon’s hand tightly once before letting go. “But luckily no one died. Everyone is here, we just need to nurse Chanyeol back to full health. And escape.”

Junmyeon nods at this sagely. “What can I do? What can I do to help? What do you need?”

“Well, teacher Choe told me to keep it a secret that Chanyeol is hurt, so I guess I can’t be seen around the village by myself. People would start to wonder where he is. It’s better if they think we’re either holed up in here, plotting, or away on the beach. So I need you to bring us stuff, and to keep an eye on things.” It makes Baekhyun a little uneasy, thinking about it- but he has no choice but to trust Junmyeon. To be their ears, eyes, even their hands.

“What do you need?” Junmyeon sounds so confident, and his eyes are hard as steel when he meets Baekhyun’s gaze. Holds it steadily. “More food? More bandages? I’ll bring it to you, I promise.”

“Bring me every bit of gear that the fishermen before us left here, everything that ever washed up on the shore,” Baekhyun instructs him. “Especially anything long and sharp. Like a spear. We need to see what we’re working with. Do you have a blacksmith here? Someone who could work metal for us.”

But Junmyeon shakes his head. Baekhyun doesn’t even have it in him to be disappointed by this- somehow, he isn’t so surprised that this is the case. After all, what metals would there be to work with, on this island? In a village where no one cultivates the land, or goes to war? Small knives are all they need, if that.

“Then bring me something I can sharpen a blade with.”

*****

Junmyeon is in and out of the house for the rest of the day, bringing in anything and everything he thinks could be useful; fishing hooks, pieces of scrap metal, buckets, plastic bottles, different tools, possibly every single knife on the island. Chanyeol wakes up and sits up against the wall to watch Baekhyun sort through every piece of loot, separating them into two piles: what could be useful, and what isn’t. They want to have as many weapons on hand as possible, and even the fishing hooks could be useful, maybe even the plastic bottles could be used for the net, but every time Junmyeon pops back in and sets down his offerings, the sense of frustration only grows inside Baekhyun.

Chanyeol seems completely too wiped out to really even be mad at this, doped out on the painkillers Baekhyun gave him to see if they would be of any use. But somehow even his silence is aggravating, as he just watches Baekhyun push things around, increasingly more impatient even though he knows that it’s not Junmyeon’s fault, or anyone’s fault. 

He’s just tired of struggling, tired of everything being so hard; why can’t the answer just fall into their arms, just this once?

“Are there really no harpoons on this island? None at all? No Japanese whaler has sailed by and dropped one into the ocean?” His curt tone of voice makes Junmyeon’s lower lip jut out, but even the guilt just seeps into the whirlpool of negativity inside of him. “You know, like, it’s this long metal thing that’s sharp on one end, and then it has a loop of some kind on the other. Like, for catching big fucking fish? You throw it and it sinks into their flesh and you pull it out of the sea like that? No?”

“I’ve never seen any,” Junmyeon mumbles, as he dejectedly puts down another haul of useless crap. “I’ve never… I’ve never seen anything like that. But I will look for one. I will find one. I promise.”

“Give the kid a break, it’s not his fucking fault,” Chanyeol tells Baekhyun, in his usual straightforward manner though his speech is slightly slurred. “Junmyeon, you’re doing great. Even with all this, we can already make something out of it.”

Baekhyun shakes his head. “No, we need a harpoon, even if we have to make it from scratch. We need something big and heavy enough to kill that giant fucker! We need something that will make it bleed to death, if we can’t pierce its heart. We can’t just chuck fishing hooks at it and hope to scratch its skin a little, we need something that’s gonna actually fucking work!”

Junmyeon scuttles away from him at his outburst, closer to Chanyeol, and that hurts a little, but Baekhyun is just so frustrated- exhausted, scared, fed up, all bundled into one confusing emotion that needs an outlet. And he knows that neither Chanyeol or Junmyeon should be that outlet, but there’s no one else. Nowhere else to go, in this stupid village, on this stupid island.

“I’ll look for something suitable,” Junmyeon says quietly, brows knitted together. “I will, I promise. There has to be something.”

“Even if there’s metal we could use, we have no blacksmiths, no one skilled enough to make something out of it.” Baekhyun presses the heels of his palms against his eyes, hard, until his vision blooms with wild, vivid colors and shapes. He tries to breathe through it, let go of this anger, but it’s hard. “I can sharpen something, but I can’t make anything, I can’t reshape anything. It has to be the right size and shape to begin with, and so far, you’ve only brought us trinkets.”

“I’ll look harder.” Junmyeon’s voice wobbles a little, and Baekhyun finally looks up again. Chanyeol is tentatively rubbing Junmyeon’s back with his healthy hand, gingerly touching him to calm him down. He does look a little shaken up- in a different way than he did when Chanyeol got hurt. Somehow more vulnerable, somehow smaller.

The guilt is like a sharp punch to his gut once more.

He knows that it’s no use screaming at him. It’s no use being angry at anyone, but fate itself.

It’s just what makes it so hard. Not having anyone to blame. Not having a reason why this is happening to them. The lack of purpose to this hardship and suffering, it makes it so much harder to bear.

“If you can find something heavy and long and sort of thin, then that would be great.” Baekhyun can feel himself deflating, as he forces the frustration to simmer down. It doesn’t vanish, it doesn’t leave him, but it sinks back down to where it came from. Still explosive, still dangerous, but he pushes it to the side. An apology sits bitter on his tongue, but he cannot say it. He can feel Chanyeol’s eyes on him, judging, but he purposefully ignores him. “If nothing else works, we’re gonna just make spears out of wood, and sharpen those. Wooden stakes aren’t gonna be as good, but well. If there’s no other choice.”

Junmyeon nods, eager to show his willingness to do better. To bring him what he wants. “I’ll find it,” he repeats himself, with more conviction. “I’ll find something. There has to be something here, I know it.”

“Thank you, Junmyeon.” Chanyeol’s voice is full of warmth. “Thank you for helping us so much. Thank you for doing all this for us.”

Baekhyun still can’t look directly at Chanyeol, but Junmyeon seems pleased with this praise alone. It makes Baekhyun loathe himself even more, for screaming at someone who clearly does so much better with positive reinforcement. For treating him so unfairly.

“It’s no bother, honestly,” Junmyeon says as breezily as he can. He really does look like a sunbathing cat, when he’s all happy and satisfied with himself. It’s such a small change in his expression, but it’s there- it’s gotten easier to notice, over time. “I want to get out of here, too. Helping you helps us. And I like helping you guys. I like being around you guys.”

“We’re gonna have to treat you to something really tasty once we make it back home. We’ll take you to all of our favourite restaurants, so you can eat all of the new foods you’d like,” Baekhyun is quick to say. To get in his good books again. “We’ll treat you to as much meat as you can eat, and alcohol. I promise you that.”

“I would like that,” Junmyeon sighs, almost dreamily. “Being with you both… eating everything I want… laughing together…” But then, his smile is quickly turned into a grimace, though he tries to hide it, tries to school his features back into something amicable. Like he suddenly tasted something very, very sour. “I would be so lucky, if I ever got to do that. But we… we shall see, I suppose.”

Again, there’s this feeling. That there is something Junmyeon isn’t telling them. Something he’s purposefully hiding, even though his body keeps giving him away. He’s much too honest for lies, that’s the thing; he lets things slip, all the time, but not enough to fully reveal what’s lurking underneath.

It makes Baekhyun nervous. It really does. But as of right now, going back home seems like such a far away goal, still; there are so many hurdles left to overcome, that he still can’t think about the future. Can’t worry about the moment of reaching home, when the path there is still so long. So, whatever Junmyeon is withholding from them, if it’s something that only concerns the time after they make it back home, he can’t afford to worry about it right now.

“Find us something useful.” Baekhyun suddenly feels even wearier. “Do you want to stay for dinner with us? It can wait until morning.”

Junmyeon glances at Chanyeol, and he inhales sharply, his throat working. “No, I think it’s best I don’t stay,” he replies, his voice a little huskier than it was just moments ago. “I will take the night to search around some more. I’ll be back in the morning, with something that’ll make you both happy. I swear it.”

“That would be nice. But it’s alright, even if you don’t succeed. We won’t be disappointed.” Chanyeol tells him this so gently, and Baekhyun’s heart clenches, just a little, hearing him speak to someone like that. Such caring words.

Junmyeon scurries away, and somehow the silence he leaves behind is a little uncomfortable. A little tense. Baekhyun gets up, and begins to push things around busily, clearing up the space once again even if it doesn’t really matter when they get so little use out of the main room anyway.

Chanyeol watches him for a while, but can’t stay silent for very long.

“You didn’t have to be so mean to him,” he says, and Baekhyun winces a little. He knew that Chanyeol would scold him, but he had hoped he’d spare him. He doesn’t want to fight- but he fears that in his current state of mind, that might be inevitable. “You didn’t have to be so harsh on him, he was trying his fucking best.”

“I’m just a little tired, okay,” he bites back, and regrets his tone of voice immediately. But once again, the guilt only makes things worse. “And I’m more than sick of this situation we’re in. You can’t blame me for wanting something useful, instead of all this crap.”

“Yeah, but how could he have known any better? He’s probably never seen the fucking thing before, he can’t read your mind! If there are no harpoons on this island, then how the hell is he supposed to bring you one?” Now Chanyeol is also getting sharper, harder, and Baekhyun hates this. Loathes this.

“I thought I explained myself pretty clearly,” he refutes him, shoving the last couple things into the faraway corner. “I wasn’t asking anything impossible.”

“You made him feel bad.” Chanyeol states this so matter-of-factly, and Baekhyun can’t even deny it. He knows he did. Could see with his own eyes how Chanyeol’s softer approach made him light up again so beautifully.

“Well, he’s not the only one who feels terrible,” he mutters, and turns to head to the kitchen. “I’m cooking us dinner, and we need to change your bandages. Do you need more meds? I think the ones you took earlier worked sort of alright, didn’t they?”

“They take the edge off,” Chanyeol mumbles. Baekhyun chances a brief glance at him- he looks tired, his skin pale, dark bags pronounced underneath his eyes. “It’s better than nothing, at least. I don’t want any food though… Just some tea.”

“You have to eat.” Baekhyun isn’t going to argue about this. “You have to eat, alright? If not, how are you going to heal?” And he steps into the kitchen, turns the corner, and begins to make as much noise while cooking as possible, to drown out Chanyeol’s protests.

Although he has no idea if this spoiled food is even helping Chanyeol heal at all.

*****

They’re woken from their listless sleep early in the morning, when the first rays of sunshine reach through their windows, to the sound of Junmyeon hammering on the door. “Wake up,” he calls out to them, so lively and bright like he’s completely unaware of the early hour. “Wake up! I found you what you needed!”

“What the fuck,” is all Chanyeol manages, and Baekhyun shushes him, presses him back down on the mattress. In his bleary state, he can’t even remember what Junmyeon is referring to- what is he bringing them? His mind is completely blank.

He stumbles out of the bedroom, hastily pulling on a pair of pants as he does, staggering over to the front door. Baekhyun opens it, eyes squinted against the morning light, his mind and body fighting each other as he tries to regain full control of them both. But there, in front of him, stands Junmyeon, smiling so brightly, so beautifully, and he’s holding something in his arms- an iron crowbar.

The crowbar is ridiculously thick, clearly made for a purpose, to last through anything, no matter what it might have been used to lift and move around. Baekhyun can’t name many purposes for such a thing, but well- it’s what he asked for. Something made of metal, something long, something sturdy. It only lacks a sharp point, but maybe… Maybe that’s something they can fix.

Junmyeon looks like a puppy waiting for a treat, and Baekhyun can’t deny him that. He pulls him in for a hug, even with the crowbar in between them, and squeezes his sturdy shoulders tightly before letting go.

Junmyeon’s eyes are wide as saucers as he stares back at him, and Baekhyun can’t help but chuckle. Even in a situation like this, Junmyeon still makes him smile. “Don’t look at me like that,” he chides him with no heat, ushering him inside, suddenly conscious of who might be watching them. “Don’t act like you’ve never been hugged before.”

“But I haven’t,” Junmyeon mumbles, still bumbling with nervousness. He usually moves so gracefully, but now he’s stumbling on his own two feet, trying to kick his shoes off. “I thought… only lovers do that?”

Baekhyun already knows there’s too much to even begin to unpack right now, so he chooses not to question it. “No, don’t be silly,” he says instead, putting on his best smile. “You came just in time for breakfast. Chanyeol is just getting up, too.” 

“Am not,” comes a quiet voice from the bedroom, and both Baekhyun and Junmyeon chuckle over his petulance.

Once they do get Chanyeol to get up, and once they have some breakfast, it’s time to roll up their sleeves once more. The crowbar stands in the corner, like an ominous shadow, and Baekhyun can’t take his eyes off of it.

“How do you think we could sharpen it?” he asks to no one in particular, and all he gets in response is pursed lips and furrowed brows. “Could we just… file it?”

“That would take fucking forever,” Chanyeol immediately refutes him. His shoulders are tense- he’s still in pain, waiting for the medicine to kick in. Baekhyun still has to change his bandages. “Can you even imagine trying to do that? We would wear down the file first, I’m pretty sure.”

“Then do we like… fucking make a DIY blacksmith project out of it? Like, get it all hot and then, I don’t know, bang on it to make a blade?” Baekhyun knows that wasn’t so eloquently put, but he doesn’t even have the proper vocabulary for what blacksmiths are supposed to do. But since there are none in the village, they’ll just have to try and do whatever they’ve seen in the movies before. “I mean, if we could get it hot enough, that might just work.”

Chanyeol shrugs, and immediately winces. “Well, it’s worth a shot,” he mumbles. He doesn’t look so well- Baekhyun’s gut twists uncomfortably. “I don’t see how else we could pull that off. But can we just use the agungi in the kitchen for that?”

The firebox, where the firewood is burned to both cooking and the ondol heating system, is rather small, but that isn’t Baekhyun’s biggest concern with using it. “We would overheat the bedroom so badly,” he replies, shaking his head. “And the rest of the house, too. I’m worried we would burn this whole thing down. It’s best we build something outside with bricks or something.”

Junmyeon clears his throat, and there’s a sly look in his eyes. “There is no blacksmith in the village now,” he says, slowly. “That’s what you asked me last night, did you not? You asked if there was one. And I told you no.”

“Yes, yes you did.” Baekhyun quirks an eyebrow at this, unable to guess where Junmyeon is going with it. “We discussed it, yeah.”

“Well, there was one. Way, way back when. But then, hm, something… happened. The leviathan got him, I think.” Junmyeon doesn’t seem so saddened by this. “And none of us ever learned how to do it. We did not care. Knives and things can be useful, yes, but… Well, anyway. So there is no blacksmith in the village, but his old workshop still exists. We did not bother doing anything about it, since we don’t have anywhere else to put that stuff, regardless.”

“There is an actual blacksmith’s workshop?” Chanyeol sounds just as stupefied as Baekhyun feels right now. “And you’re only telling us now. What the fuck, Junmyeon?”

Junmyeon hunches down, like a scolded dog, even if there is that usual fire in his eyes that doesn’t speak of submission. “Well, it wasn’t what you asked me,” he defends himself, and Baekhyun can feel some of that previous frustration bubbling back to the surface. This time, however, he does his best to push it back down. He doesn’t want to give into it, when he knows he’s so weak once it takes over.

“Alright.” He forces his tone to stay even. “Can you show us? I mean, me. Chanyeol still has to stay here.”

Chanyeol doesn’t look happy about it, but it’s what needs to be done, and so Baekhyun and Junmyeon head out, with the crowbar in tow.

The blacksmith’s workshop is a small hut on the verge of the village, and it’s clear that it’s gone unused for a very long time, the roof tiles covered with moss and the grass tall around it. Junmyeon opens the door and Baekhyun steps into the dark building, squinting his eyes in his effort to try and see anything.

Once his vision adjusts, he can see how the entire workshop looks like the blacksmith just walked out the door five minutes ago, and was fully intending to return. Minus all the dust covering everything, of course- but the tools are all there, laid out, there’s a giant pile of coal in one corner, and the forge in the other. Of course, Baekhyun doesn’t have any training in this, but to him, it all looks intact and fully operational- now he only needs to figure out how to actually operate it.

“I guess the first thing to do is to start the fire?”

It’s not as complex to figure out as he had feared, on the surface at least. Junmyeon starts the fire expertly, and then they just mostly wait for the fire to get hot enough. Baekhyun uses the time poking around at the different tools, trying to fabricate a plan as to how to go about this. He’s only ever seen this done in movies and period dramas, and perhaps on a school trip once, so he only has a very vague idea as to how it should be done, but he figures he just has to go for it; shape the crowbar until it has a flat edge that he can then sharpen like any knife or blade.

It’s probably going to be hard, but at least it doesn’t seem impossible.

Finally, the forge is radiating so much heat that they can barely stand close to it. Baekhyun shoves the crowbar into the embers and holds it steady there, watching it closely, even as the smoke makes his eyes water and sweat trickle down his temples, his neck, his back. Junmyeon hovers near- he’s holding the hammer ready, like he’s ready to attack the crowbar like a prey animal. He’s stronger than Baekhyun, and Baekhyun knows it, so maybe it’ll be a good idea to let him do some of the physical labor.

They watch the fire, watch the crowbar, and it almost feels like watching a pot of water, waiting for it to boil. Like it’ll never happen- like it knows it’s being watched, somehow. Time means nothing, in this dark little workshop, smoke burning their eyes and filling their nostrils, their mouths dry and clothes soaked with sweat. But then-

“I think it’s turning a little red! I think it’s gonna get red soon!”

It’s like magic, witnessing it with his own eyes, the way the iron changes color. It’s slow, but it’s steady, like a snail inching across pavement. But it’s enough, to calm his restless mind; to see their plan working, at least partially. At least this first step.

“Let’s try to hammer it,” Junmyeon suggests as the iron slowly takes on the color of the embers. “Let’s see what we can do. I’ll strike hard and swift, I’ll make it submit to my will.”

“Stand back, then, I’ll take it out of there. I don’t wanna burn you on accident.”

Baekhyun pulls the crowbar out of the fire, and gingerly places it on the anvil, holding it in place with two hands. Junmyeon sidesteps away from him, until he’s standing at a better angle, the hammer still held tightly in his fist, poised for an attack. There’s really something predatory about his stance, about how the fire sparkles in his eyes as he stares down at his victim. Baekhyun shudders, but wills the thoughts away.

“Just try to flatten it, that’s all we need. To reshape it into a point, like a knife. You get what I mean.”

The blows make Baekhyun’s arms rattle, as Junmyeon strikes the red-hot metal and the vibrations travel through the crowbar and up his bones. But he doesn’t let go, doesn’t falter, intently watching as Junmyeon hammers away, swinging his arms up high and bringing it back down with purpose, with intent, his brows furrowed, upper lip curled back as though he’s angry at the stubborn metal for resisting him. The noise is so loud in the small workspace, and Baekhyun can imagine how it echoes through the village, through the silent forest- perhaps even the leviathan can hear it, can hear the sound of its own end approaching.

The thought gives Baekhyun strength, gives him hope. They can do this. They will really kill the leviathan.

He loses count how many times they have to repeat the cycle of heating the metal and then hammering down on it. Progress is slow- the crowbar is very thick and as such, flattening it out takes time and an immense amount of strength. He can see the exertion in Junmyeon’s face, veins in his arms and neck pronounced, sweat beading at his brow, but Junmyeon doesn’t even seem to hear him when he offers to trade places. He’s truly determined, in some kind of trance almost, as he relentlessly brings the hammer down time and time again, even though it’s clearly wearing down on him too, even with his impressive strength.

They don’t pause for water, or food, just keep working away at it. Keeping the fire going, repeating the same motions over and over again. Baekhyun’s arms hurt from withstanding the jolts of Junmyeon’s hammering, but doesn’t complain. Just grits his teeth together, and lets it rattle through his entire body, tries not to resist it, brace against it more than necessary. Focus on how each time, they’re getting closer, how the thinner metal becomes more malleable, how it begins to take the right shape, slowly emerging from the fire as the weapon they need it to be.

Until it’s finally done.

“Let me see,” Baekhyun shouts at Junmyeon, to make him stop. Junmyeon looks up at him like a startled animal, and it takes a second for his words to fully register- before he lowers down the hammer, and steps aside so Baekhyun can inspect their creation more closely.

“I think it’s perfect,” Baekhyun finally says, after thorough consideration. He doesn’t want to quit too soon just because they’re both tired, just because they both want this to be over with, but he also doesn’t want to make the blade too thin. Who knows what it’ll have to pierce through, once they attack the leviathan. “I think it’s done, honestly. You did such a great job, Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon smiles at him, his white teeth in stark contrast to how his face has darkened with soot from the coals. “You think so? You really think so?”

“I do,” Baekhyun tells him. “I don’t think we can make it any better than this. It looks amazing. Now we just need to let it cool and then try and sharpen it.”

“Sounds good.” Junmyeon sounds so truly relieved and pleased, and Baekhyun can’t blame him. “Can we go and show this to Chanyeol? We’ve been here all day, he must be bored without you by his side.”

That makes Baekhyun laugh as he spreads out the embers in the forge, to make the fire die down faster on its own. “Well, I think he’s seen enough of me lately to last him a while,” he muses, and not without a hint of pain. “Like, we’re used to being around each other all the fucking time, but this has been a little excessive.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Junmyeon is utterly confused. Baekhyun brushes past him to exit the workshop- it’s already late afternoon. He hadn’t realized how long this entire process took them. He feels a pang of guilt at that; Chanyeol has been waiting for them all this time. Junmyeon rushes after him to keep up with him, as Baekhyun heads back to the house with hurried footsteps. “I mean- do you not love him? More than anything in the world? How could you ever tire of his presence?”

Baekhyun sighs. “I mean, I don’t get tired of him,” he corrects him gently. “It’s just that sometimes we both would like some alone time. Time away from each other, that is. No matter how much we love each other… Sometimes we just have to get away from one another. Haven’t you heard that distance makes the heart grow fonder?”

“I haven’t heard that, no.” It seems as if Baekhyun has given Junmyeon a lot to think about, once more. It’s really telling, how foreign these concepts are to him.

What it speaks of, however, Baekhyun isn’t entirely sure, besides the most glaring fact, which is that Junmyeon has never been in love. Has never dated someone.

It’s a pity, he finds himself thinking. Junmyeon is very good-looking, more than easy on the eyes, and despite all of his quirks and how expressionless he can be, he’s fun to be around. Thoughtful, in his own way, and earnest. Sometimes a little hot-headed for sure, but typically quite calm, and he’s very protective and caring. How could someone like him be single? Well- one look around the island reminds Baekhyun as to why that is.

Perhaps on the mainland, that’ll change too. There will be suitors for Junmyeon for sure, of all genders. Somehow thinking about it, however, is a little bittersweet. It would be delightful to see someone care for Junmyeon and make him all flustered all the time, but it would also feel a little regretful, he’d imagine.

There’s a part of him that has a name for that, but he’s not brave enough to even think of it. Again, he’s reminded of Chanyeol, and he makes haste, Junmyeon naturally following by his side.

Chanyeol is still lying down when they return, but at least he’s awake. He sits up when they step in, smiling his dazzling smile, clearly expecting good news, and Baekhyun feels so proud and pleased that he’s bringing them too.

“Look!” Triumphantly, he holds up the crowbar- or what is now a harpoon of sorts. They even managed to make a loop at the other end, to tie rope through, to use the weapon more effectively. “We did it!”

Chanyeol jumps up to his feet then, and though he’s a little wobbly, a little unsteady, in this moment, it doesn’t matter. “It looks so fucking amazing,” he marvels at it, running his fingers across the full length of it. “Wow, that’s so sick, I can’t believe you actually made something so good! Hell yeah, killing the leviathan will be a piece of cake with this!”

“We still need to sharpen it,” Baekhyun feels like he has to point out, but Chanyeol’s joy, as usual, is infectious. They needed this success, they needed this boost in moral, and he knows it. “But that thing is going to pierce right through that monster, and kill it good. This is our ticket to freedom.”

“I’m so proud,” Chanyeol replies, and leans into kiss him, his lips burning hot against Baekhyun’s as they press and linger, the kiss touching the very bottom of his heart before Chanyeol pulls away. Beside them, Junmyeon is squirming in place, once again reminding Baekhyun of an excited puppy, and Chanyeol notices it too.

“I’m proud of you as well,” he says, tone warm and rich with emotion, and he brings Junmyeon in for a hug, pressing his cheek against the top of his head for a brief moment before he lets go. “I’m sure he couldn’t have done it without you.”

“No, I absolutely couldn’t have,” Baekhyun agrees. “Junmyeon did all of the hard work, really. He was the one with the hammer for most of the time.”

“You’re so strong,” Chanyeol says, taking on a more teasing tone as he pinches Junmyeon’s arm who yelps and jumps away from the touch. Chanyeol practically howls with laughter. “But you both need to take a bath, and then, I want dinner.”

Chanyeol is right about that, and the rest of the afternoon and early evening passes so quickly in these cozy chores; heating up the bath water, washing up, and then preparing food. When they finally get to sit down to eat, Baekhyun is really feeling the exhaustion of the day in his bones, and even the musty food tastes delicious to him now, as he’s so, so starved. Chanyeol’s appetite still isn’t back and Junmyeon never touches anything but the fish, picking on it with his chopsticks, but even so- it feels so nice and homey, almost, sharing a dinner together after a long day of work. Fruitful work, too, with a definite sense of accomplishment attached to it.

It feels so good that none of them pay attention to the time- or to the sun that has long since crept below the horizon, dark shadows having turned into pure darkness outside.

At first, it’s just Junmyeon zoning out in the middle of conversation. His eyes turn glossy and dark as he stares at a single spot, nostrils flared, chest heaving as his breaths come faster, shallower, like he’s straining himself somehow. There’s a slight tremor going through him next, subtle tension in his muscles that slowly tighten more and more, his line of vision fixed into one place like his thoughts are far, far away.

When Chanyeol lifts up his injured hand, and Junmyeon’s gaze follows it, Baekhyun realizes that he’s not just looking at a random spot on the table. He’s staring at Chanyeol- the bloodied stump of his finger. The blood has seeped through the bandages, as the wound keeps oozing still, and now it seems that Junmyeon can’t take his eyes off of it.

Chills run down Baekhyun’s spine. “Junmyeon?” he calls out to get his attention, but Junmyeon doesn’t react, if he hears him at all. He reaches over to nudge his shoulder, then, and Junmyeon finally turns to look at him with a loud growl resonating somewhere deep within his chest, upper lip curled up, teeth bared, hackles raised. Poised for an attack.

“Woah, what the fuck,” Chanyeol exclaims, and Baekhyun scampers to get closer to him without thinking, something about his primal instincts shouting at him to do something. The movement and noises only aggravate Junmyeon however, who stands up from his seat to his full height, face twisted into something ugly and terrifying, the growling growing even louder, eyes darting between Baekhyun and Chanyeol- assessing, measuring, contemplating.

Baekhyun stands up as well, trying to get in between Junmyeon and Chanyeol, but that seems like the wrong move. Junmyeon hisses at him now, and his face twists further- no, it morphs completely into something that they’ve never seen before. His tongue lolls out of his mouth like a long tentacle while his teeth grow sharper and bigger, his canine teeth protruding like that of an apex predator, as his jaw widens to accommodate all of his teeth. His nose goes flatter as though sinking into his skull and his eyes grow bigger, more feline, his pupils blowing up so that there’s hardly any white visible at all, the shade as dark as the night sky and just as impenetrable. His skin turns into scales, strangely grey in color, and his fingers turn into claws, mutating his hands into something from a nightmare, just how the rest of him turns into a monster right before their eyes. The Junmyeon they knew is gone- in his place stands a deranged animal, a creature that cannot even be described in words, something that they’ve never heard of, or seen before- and it’s obvious how dangerous he is, how deadly every inch of his being now is.

“Junmyeon, no,” Baekhyun tells him as firmly as he can, but his voice is shaking, his mind reeling. He has no idea what he’s even looking at. The monster standing before them, it only resembles Junmyeon because of the clothes on its back, and nothing else. There’s not a single trace of the gentle man they’ve come to know left. Whatever it is- it’s dangerous.

Chanyeol scampers up to his feet and it makes the creature snarl at them, snapping its teeth at them, as it begins to slowly approach them, going straight over the table as it doesn’t care for the furniture at all, stepping on the dishes directly without even noticing it. Chanyeol takes hold of Baekhyun’s shoulder and pulls him back, both of them retreating away from it, hearts racing, minds wild with terror.

“Junmyeon, don’t do this,” Baekhyun pleads, but he has no idea if the creature even understands speech. If it even recognizes them anymore- if it can be reasoned with. “It’s okay. Just calm down, alright? It’s okay, everything’s gonna be just fine. Just… Just back down, alright. We’ll talk in the morning. Everything’s gonna be fine.”

Whether it’s because of his words or not, the monster leaps forward, jumping with inhuman strength, and it pushes Baekhyun down, grabbing onto him with its long claws, the sharp points tearing through his clothing and sinking into his skin and flesh. Baekhyun screams as he falls on his back, the monster landing on top of him, throwing punches blindly to try and push it off of him, but the creature is just as strong, if not stronger, as the man who attacked him before. The monster that attacked him before- he just hadn’t changed this far, hadn’t revealed his truest form like this.

The monster swipes at him, the nails leaving behind gaping cuts, and Baekhyun yells out again, thrashes underneath the weight of it, but even the punches he lands don’t seem to register at all in the mind of the creature. But then, Chanyeol throws himself at the brazen monster, tackling it and shoving it off Baekhyun with his full body weight. The creature yelps loudly as it goes down with a thud, and Baekhyun scampers to get up, adrenaline pumping through his veins, every cell in his body screaming at him to get away, to get to safety.

But he can’t leave Chanyeol behind.

He doesn’t even think, as he hurries over. Chanyeol is on top of the monster but Baekhyun doesn’t pause to see what is going on, what is happening, as he grabs him by the arm to tear him away, pull him up, and shove him towards the closest door- the door into the kitchen. “Run,” he screams, shoving him, even as the monster rises from the ground as well, he can hear it but won’t turn to look, doesn’t want to see, just needs to get away from it. He blindly grabs the closest object and throws it behind him, hoping to at least slow it down, as they tumble through the doorway and into the dark kitchen, only the fire in the agungi providing any light.

Then, the monster throws itself on his back, its claws sinking into his shoulders, and Baekhyun screams in agony, tries to shake it off. Chanyeol turns around and grabs Baekhyun, tears him free, only to fall down next, everything a frantic, confusing mess in the dark, hands grabbing, legs kicking, teeth biting, all at once. And all the while Baekhyun knows at this is it- this could be the end for both of them, this fight right here, and this time, there’s no one to save them for their guardian up until now is the very thing attacking them, wanting them dead.

He manages to tear Chanyeol free once more, and shoves him towards the door that leads to the courtyard, even as the monster attaches itself to him again. Baekhyun scrambles forward, crawls through the doorway and after Chanyeol, into the dark night, only the bleak stars shining upon them. “To the cellar,” he yells at Chanyeol, who runs before him and rips open the heavy door that leads down to the cellar where most of the food is stored. It’s the only thing here with a door sturdy enough- or so Baekhyun hopes, for there’s nowhere else for them to go. The monster claws at his back, bites at his shoulder and Baekhyun screams but his body has a mind of its own, his feet pushing him forward despite the pain he’s in, completely focused on getting to safety, no matter what it takes, no matter how much it hurts.

Chanyeol grabs a piece of firewood in his healthy hand and turns around, holding the door open, to beat the monster down repeatedly, trying to pry it off of Baekhyun. It’s a frantic battle, one where Baekhyun isn’t even sure whose hands are on him, who’s touching him, who’s shoving him, who’s pulling on his clothes, all the while trying to get through the doorway and close the door, while still keeping the creature outside. It feels like it lasts forever- pushing and pulling and claws on his arms and hits raining down on him, and he can’t see, can’t hear anything but his own ragged breaths, his own heart beating wildly in his chest.

Then, Chanyeol shoves him with his shoulder, and he falls backwards into the darkness of the cellar. But can see Chanyeol landing a kick on the monster’s chest, and it tumbles down as well. It’s back on its feet in a matter of milliseconds but it’s enough time for Chanyeol to dive for the door, to pull it closed- but then, the monster’s claw reaches through the gap, tries to tear the door open again, tries to grab at them, anything, do something.

Baekhyun rolls back up and hurries over to Chanyeol’s side. “Junmyeon, please,” he cannot help but beg once again, even as they attempt to close the door together, pulling on the metal ring that acts as a door handle. “Junmyeon, please don’t do this. Please. We don’t want to hurt you. Please. Back away.”

He doesn’t know what comes over him- he lets go of the door handle, and presses his fingers into the palm of the monster, against the rough scales. Doesn’t yank it away even as the claws wrap around his hand, sinking into his skin, deep, even as they draw blood, cutting through his flesh like they’re razors. “Junmyeon,” he whispers, and it leaves him reeling how quickly it all changes- the touch grows soft, the claws pull away, and then, the monster pulls its hand back, allowing the door to slam closed with a final thud.

The silence is eerie around them, as they stand there, together, panting, trying to comprehend what just happened to them. Ears straining, to try and hear- hear what the monster is doing, where it’s going, where it is, if it’s still waiting for them. If it might leave, or if it might try and knock down the door, in its urge to get to them.

They can hear nothing, and they cannot say a word either- too afraid that it might understand, that it might be listening. That they might provoke it. In the complete darkness, Baekhyun can’t even see Chanyeol’s face, can only lean on him as they continue to hold onto the door to make sure it stays closed. Keeps them safe.

The sea monster really isn’t the only danger on this island, after all.


	6. Chapter 6

That night, neither of them sleep. Cannot sleep. There’s nothing to lock the door with from the inside, and they have no idea if the monster- no, Junmyeon could still be out there. Waiting, listening.

They stand there, for hours, in the darkness. Side by side, gripping the door handle together, the weight of the metal in their hands their only anchor. The press of their bodies together their only comfort, as they wait- what for, however, they have no idea.

From the fear rises clarity, as they can’t do anything else but think. Think back on the past few weeks, the things they’ve seen, heard, been told.

“They’re not people,” Baekhyun whispers. They haven’t heard a single sound from outside the door for what feels like eons, but he doesn’t trust the silence. It could mean anything- and he fears they’re being listened to. “Junmyeon isn’t. None of them are.”

“Monsters aren’t real,” Chanyeol answers, but his words are hollow. It’s just the last edge of denial; a foolish wish that this isn’t really happening. That this isn’t the situation they’re both stuck in. “What else could they be but human?”

“You saw him transform with your own eyes.” Baekhyun can’t blame him. He, too, wishes that this weren’t true. But he’s coming to terms with it faster- and finds that maybe, deep down, he already knew something wasn’t right. That something was lurking in the darkness, something even more nefarious than the leviathan. “You saw it. It wasn’t human, not at all. The way they only eat raw fish, their super strength, how they all act so strange, fuck, even how there are no children here. The writing was on the wall this entire time, Yeo-rah.”

He can hear Chanyeol swallow, can feel him lean on him a little heavier. “So then… the man who attacked you… The way Junmyeon fought with him outside the house, and wouldn’t come in-”

“The way Junmyeon nearly transformed, when he saw that you’d been hurt by the leviathan.” Baekhyun feels like he’ll puke. Just thinking back to it, it makes him sick. Only that time, they didn’t get to see the transformation to its completion. “How he had to run away, in order to hide it from us. How we couldn’t walk through the village when you were still bleeding. How teacher Choe told us to hide you away, not let anyone know about your injury.”

It’s all adding up, and it’s making him dizzy.

How could they have been so blind?

Or- how could they have ever come up with anything so irrational and crazy?

Perhaps, the sea monster should have been the first sign. But that alone, it was bad enough.

Now, their situation has been revealed for what it truly is. Sitting in a nest of monsters, rather than being watched by one. An entire village, thirsty for their blood, turning into wicked creatures as soon as the sun goes down.

They stand in silence for a very long time.

“What do you think will happen, once morning comes?” Chanyeol sounds utterly exhausted. Like he’s going to cry, but is trying his best to hold back. “Do you think… Do you think he’ll transform back?”

“Maybe.” They were only ever told to stay inside at night. Surely, during the day, things are better under control. “But I’m sure they don’t want us to know… to know the truth. So when he changes back… Will he tell everyone? And if he does, then what will they do?”

Chanyeol snivels, and Baekhyun’s throat feels tight, his chest heavy.

“He wouldn’t do that to us,” Chanyeol whispers, startling Baekhyun back into full alertness. The exhaustion is creeping up on him, his eyes falling closed, his mind delirious, the tendrils of sleep taking hold of him even without him noticing. He stands up straighter, tightens his hold on the door handle once more. Pays better attention to Chanyeol’s quiet whisper. “He wouldn’t… He wouldn’t hurt us.”

Baekhyun doesn’t know what to say to that. Junmyeon, as they knew him before this, that Junmyeon wouldn’t ever do anything to harm them, that much Baekhyun is sure of. But this Junmyeon? This blood-thirsty, violent monster that came for them, tried to kill them, he doesn’t know that they can trust this Junmyeon.

“Will we meet the monster, or will we meet the Junmyeon from before, in the morning?” He has no answer, and he knows Chanyeol doesn’t either. “I guess that’s what it depends on. How much he wants to hurt us.”

“He never hurt us before.” Chanyeol sounds as weary as Baekhyun feels. “He saved our lives, many times over. Protected us from the others.”

“But what for? His own gain. He wants out of here, Chanyeol. And we’re the only ticket to get off this island.” And it dawns on Baekhyun then. The bigger picture. What this all means.

“We can’t let any of them off this island. They’re monsters, Chanyeol. We can’t… We can’t let them loose, not into our world.”

From somewhere deep, Junmyeon’s voice comes. A memory- his sadness, when talking about how limited their time together would be, out there, in the world where they come from.

It makes more sense now.

“They’ll kill everyone there, Yeo-rah. They’ll kill all of us, if we set them free. We can’t… We can’t let that happen.”

For a moment, they just stand there. Take in this new understanding- the full picture of what they’ve gotten themselves in. What this all means. And it’s not pretty, to look at, to fully take in.

All their carefully made plans, now suddenly ruined.

“We can’t kill the leviathan, then.” Chanyeol says it quietly, like it’s a dangerous secret, and that, it is.

They worked so hard, to prepare for it. They spent so much time planning. It was the most crucial step in their plan. Now, they can’t even do it. Can’t use the weapon Baekhyun and Junmyeon so painstakingly made together.

“The leviathan is the only thing that keeps them on this island. It can’t be killed, if we don’t want to set these monsters free.”

Baekhyun leans his head forward, until his forehead touches the wooden door. His body feels so heavy, and his heart heavier still. “We will… We will think of something else.” Whatever that could be- he doesn’t know, doesn’t have the slightest idea. How to get away from this island, without killing its guardian? Without leaving a gate open, for the monsters to come streaming through.

In darkness they stand, together, and wait. Wait for a sign they can’t see.

“Look.” Chanyeol’s voice startles Baekhyun once more, pulls him back from the dark recess of his own mind. He blinks his eyes open, not having even noticed them slipping closed, but he doesn’t understand what Chanyeol wants him to see.

“What?” 

“There’s light coming from underneath the door. By our feet.”

And sure enough- there’s light. Rays on sunlight, reaching out to them.

“How do we know if… If that’s enough?” There’s so much they don’t understand. The rules of this strange fantasy world. How much sunlight forces the monsters to hide- or allows them enough self control to stay hidden?

Did Junmyeon ever leave, and if he didn’t, then will he still be waiting for them as a monster?

Chanyeol swallows thickly. “I’m so thirsty, and hungry, and tired,” he replies. “I’m getting to a point where I don’t fucking care anymore. My hand hurts, you’re hurt, and all this- Fuck, I don’t give a fuck about any of this. If he’s there, then so be it. I’ll fucking beat him to the ground with my own hands, if I gotta.”

“You don’t mean that.” Baekhyun removes his hand from the door handle, his fingers tense and sore. But he rubs his hand down Chanyeol’s back, even while still straining his ears for any signs of movement outside the door. “You wouldn’t hurt him.”

“I wouldn’t want to, at least.” Chanyeol sighs, but ducks his head down to kiss Baekhyun’s forehead. “Should we just… go for it? We can’t stay here forever. We need food, and rest, and we need… We need to plan our next step.”

Even in this exhausted state, just the thought of opening the door makes Baekhyun’s heart hammer wildly in his chest. Although the safety they’ve had here is only temporary, although they really can’t stay for much longer- He just wishes that they could be better prepared, somehow. But there’s nothing in the cellar to use as a weapon, and there’s a part of him that doesn’t want to. Doesn’t want to threaten Junmyeon with anything, doesn’t want to possibly hurt him severely.

He can’t let go of the fact that the monster did loosen its grip on him willingly. That it stopped fighting, backed away when he pleaded it to.

Perhaps it’s not entirely different from Junmyeon’s more human form.

“On the count to three?” Chanyeol whispers in his ear, and Baekhyun nods. Baekhyun counts the time with taps against Chanyeol’s hand, so anyone waiting outside couldn’t hear it, couldn’t prepare for it.

Together, they shove the door open, and almost fall through the doorway, scampering to get their bearings, to look around, hackles raised, bracing against an attack- but it doesn’t come.

The light is so bright, their eyes so sensitive, that at first, it’s impossible to see anything. But then- huddled on the stone steps leading into the house, sits Junmyeon, his head in his knees, trembling slightly. They both hesitate to step closer, however, unsure of which form of him they’ll see, the terrors of last night still more than vivid in their minds. It’s not until Junmyeon finally notices them and lifts up his head that they can see that he’s back in to his… _humane_ self; back to his soft, symmetrical features, his delicate beauty.

But his eyes, they’ve changed. Instead of deep wells of unmoving water, they’re now alive with pain like an river about to flood over its banks. His lips tremble, his breaths come in shudders, his body curled up small as though to hide away- as though he’s in pain.

At first, Baekhyun doesn’t think much of the blood on his jeoggori. After all, Junmyeon did hurt him, hurt Chanyeol- it might very well be from them, from the deep scratches Junmyeon’s talons left on their skin. But then, once he’s sure that Junmyeon isn’t going to attack them, his adrenaline coming back down again, he realises that there’s so much more of it than there ought to be.

“Did something happen, Junmyeon-ah?”

Junmyeon pulls his right hand closer to himself instinctively, directing Baekhyun’s attention to it immediately. And he instantly almost wishes that he didn’t look, for he’s not ready for the bloodied mess that Junmyeon tries to hide against his chest, in the folds of his clothing.

Abandoning any last hesitation he feels towards Junmyeon now, he surges forward, and though Junmyeon tries to pull away, he doesn’t let him. Even though he’s still aware of the danger, he still reaches out to him, still wants to see- for even though what he sees makes him feel sick to his stomach, he can’t help but ache. Ache for Junmyeon. Wish to ease his pain.

His fingers are completely torn apart, it seems, the nails missing from all of them, the fingertips crusted over with blood, oozing with yellowish liquid- they’re much in the same state as the stump of Chanyeol’s finger, days after it got chopped off.

Right. Monsters also heal faster than humans.

“What happened?”

Junmyeon won’t look at him, won’t look at Chanyeol. “I hurt you,” he whispers, his voice hoarse, raw. But not how he sounds when he’s on the verge of changing- no, this is purely emotional. “I hurt you… whom I swore to never, ever hurt like this. I had to punish myself… I had to make sure I could never do that again.”

Baekhyun’s hands begin to tremble, and he can hear Chanyeol’s surprised, pained gasp from beside him. “Junmyeon-ah…” Chanyeol kneels down next to Baekhyun, on the step below Junmyeon. His large hands also reach for him, one bandaged, one healthy and well. Baekhyun can’t help but tear up at the realization- of how well Chanyeol must understand Junmyeon’s agony. “Why did you… You didn’t have to…”

“I had to be punished.” Junmyeon is so stubborn, even as he begins to tremble. He’s never looked so small. And to think that just last night, Baekhyun feared for his life because of him. “I had to. It was the only right thing to do… An eye for an eye…”

“You barely even touched us.” Baekhyun is quick to tug his sleeves down, however. Junmyeon is in no state to see their wounds right now. “Jun…”

And there’s so much that should be said. So much they don’t understand- so much they have to somehow come to terms with. But right now, it feels insignificant. It’s all secondary.

Junmyeon is hurt. Chanyeol is hurting. And he, he just wants to rest. Ignore the danger, for now, ignore what they need to do here, and just sleep.

But first, first comes Junmyeon.

“Let’s go inside. We need to clean you up, both of you. I’ll boil some water, get bandages ready… Unless you can’t control yourself, if I clean Chanyeol’s wound in front of you?” And his wounds, as well. The lashes across his back, down his arms, but Baekhyun hardly feels the pain right now. Cares much more for these two men than his own well-being.   
Junmyeon tilts his head down, but his voice is full of determination. “I’ll rip out the claws in my left hand, if I touch you ever again,” he swears, and somehow, Baekhyun does believe him. And not least because of how Junmyeon let them go- how he let them into safety, when Baekhyun begged him to.

“Please don’t,” he says, regardless, as he stands up. “We really don’t want you to hurt like this, either. Please. So let’s go inside, and begin to sort out this mess.”

*****

“We’re all… None us are human, on this island,” Junmyeon tells them as Baekhyun carefully soaks his bloodied, mauled fingertips in warm water, to get the caked up blood off them. “We… I do not remember how we ended up here. I was born here, unlike most. I’m the youngest, I told you so. I was not allowed to tell you, we weren’t supposed to be found out… and if we did, we would have to kill you. Because you would not help us, if you knew what we are.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol make eye contact. It’s a flawless logic, that much is for sure. “And why did you attack us, last night?” Baekhyun presses on. The water has already turned an ugly shade of rusty red. “Because of Chanyeol’s finger? And because it was nighttime?”

It’s obvious that Junmyeon doesn’t want to answer that, in the way he hunches even further into him. But Baekhyun and Chanyeol are nothing but patient, waiting for him to speak.

It’s not an easy confession, and it’s a truth that, although the hints, the signs have been there, neither one of them wants to hear.

“We… We crave human flesh. To eat.” Junmyeon is barely breathing as he says this, and now the pain is overflowing. “We depend on it, to flourish… We desire it, like no other. We are the only predator that hunts humans… That wants to taste your flesh, eat it, to feast upon it. It is why we want to get away so badly… To go where our prey is, to hunt once more. To thrive again, like we are meant to.”

Baekhyun can’t help but pull his hands away, away from Junmyeon’s skin. The weight of his words, it sits heavy upon them, and demands attention, even after he’s gone silent again.

The signs were always there. He knows it now. Understands why he didn’t want to see the full picture, before- for this is worse than a nightmare, far worse than he could have ever imagined.

“So the sailors who have become stranded here before…”

“We’ve eaten them all. Those that didn’t drown while trying to escape, or trying to slay the leviathan.” Junmyeon is shaking, sending ripples through the water where his hand is still resting. To think that a born hunter like that would just… tear his claws off, to punish himself for what he did. For doing what is natural to him, what he was meant to do.

It’s too much to comprehend, yet they don’t have time. Don’t have time to think, to evaluate, to adjust.

“But it’s not enough, is it? A few sailors here and there, it’s not enough.” Baekhyun shakes his head. “Isn’t that why there are no children here? Why you can’t have children? Why you’re the youngest- whatever that means, however old you actually are.”

“You’re right.” Junmyeon still doesn’t dare meet his eyes. “You’re right… about all of it. And no, I’m not the age that I appear to you. Time is different for us… I’m nothing but a boy, in our books, for we can live for hundreds of years, but only eating… eating what we were meant to eat. Without it, who knows how long I’ll live.”

It’s not like they haven’t heard stories of cannibalism before- but no, this isn’t cannibalism. These are not people, though they may seem like it, in the broad daylight. But it’s still sickening. Baekhyun can’t help but imagine it, though he wishes he could resist, the images floating up uninvited, using every zombie movie he’s ever seen as fuel for this nightmare.

“You must be really hungry.” Chanyeol’s voice startles him, and to his surprise, he seems earnest. “That is… That must be very difficult. To have resisted attacking us for this long, helping us, taking care of us.”

Junmyeon seems equally confused by this. “You’ve always been so kind to me,” he whispers. He goes to pull his hand away from the water and Baekhyun grabs it without thinking, to start gently drying his skin, his quickly closing wounds. “You have always been… so nice to me. I cherish you too much… I regret that I ever hurt you like this.”

“It’s okay.” It’s not okay, in so many ways, yet Baekhyun doesn’t have it in his heart to blame Junmyeon for any of it. He didn’t choose to be this way; he has never betrayed them, before. Even if fueled by his selfish desire to get off the island, he’s kept them safe from the other villagers.

But that thought begs another question, a more urgent one.

“Now that we know who you are… What you are. Do you have to kill us? Will you kill us?” It’s a likely possibility, but before he can even finish his sentence, Junmyeon is already shaking his head.

“I would never,” he whispers. “I could never do that. I will… I will do anything, to keep you safe. Even if it means letting you to get away… Even if it means leaving us doomed on this island, I will let you live.”

Hearing this, it makes Baekhyun emotional, more so than he can even explain. One glance at Chanyeol tells him that he feels somewhat the same. Or so he assumes- lately, they’ve had to do a lot of talking through looks alone, and he can only hope that most of it has been without miscommunication. But whatever they might feel, whatever they might think, there’s no time to dwell on any of it.

Time is ticking, and the monsters are gathering. Waiting impatiently, as their hunger grows.

“So let’s figure out how we’re going to do that.”

But before they can do more than eat, and lie down to sleep for a short while, there’s an urgent knock on the door. It sounds more ominous than ever before, like this; even more so than when they thought Junmyeon would out them to the whole village. It just seems like too much of a coincidence, since they don’t get visits that regularly.

“Junmyeon, hide somewhere.” He instinctively knows that anyone seeing Junmyeon’s injuries would cause trouble. He’s healing quickly, but there’s no explaining what happened to him, no excuse good enough. And more so than ever, he wants to keep Chanyeol safe from harm, with his still healing injury, now fully aware of the reaction it might cause in the villagers.

Chanyeol patched him up as well as he could, wrapping cloth over his shoulders and down his arms. Out of all of them here, he’s the least hurt- which isn’t much, right now.   
“I’ll stay in the bedroom,” Chanyeol tells him, though he doesn’t make a move to lay down. “They can’t suspect that we know something’s up. We have to act normal, if we can. Unassuming.”

“Fucking easier said than done,” Baekhyun mumbles under his breath, though he knows Chanyeol is right. Acting too cautious and alarmed would only cause more trouble for them. “Okay, I’ll go. But listen carefully, alright?” For if there’s any sign of danger, he wants Chanyeol to be ready.

Even if there’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide on this island, should the entire village come after them.

A haste kiss later, he leaves the bedroom.

Each step feels so heavy, as he nears the door, his heart pounding in his chest so uncomfortably that he feels sick because of it. He’s delirious with exhaustion, worn down to the bone, and it’s just so overwhelming; this constant fear for his life, for Chanyeol’s life. And now, perhaps Junmyeon’s as well, for who knows what they would do to him, if they found out.

Baekhyun opens the door, and isn’t so surprised to find teacher Choe standing there, looking distant but expectant, as he’s prone to do. Or, perhaps, it’s just an emotion he’s mimicking- these monsters are more like aliens imitating what they’ve seen humans do, Baekhyun thinks. It’s been so hard to read them, to understand them, and now he fully understands why that is.

Yet somehow, he feels certain that at least some of Junmyeon’s emotions are real. Could the same be true for teacher Choe? He doesn’t feel ready to judge that just yet.

“You do not look so well, young man,” teacher Choe drawls as he steps past Baekhyun and into the house. “Is Chanyeol still resting? His injury must be taking a toll on him.”

“Yes,” Baekhyun mumbles, stumbling after him into the sitting room. At least the man came alone- it’s only a slim comfort, but it is one anyway. “He’s still asleep. He needs to heal before we can take on the sea monster.”

“That is true. He must gather his strength, for such a heroic endeavour.” Teacher Choe sounds so pleased, as he makes himself comfortable. How badly Baekhyun just aches to tell him to get out, and to never come back. “How are your efforts going right now? The women have been tireless in their work, and I’m sure that the net will be finished in no time at all. Even as soon as tomorrow, if they really keep at it.”

That’s entirely too soon. Way too soon. Their previous plan now disregarded, they’re back in square one. Even if their plan was poorly constructed and lacking in many areas, at least it was still something worth trying. Now, they have nothing, and they have to start over.

Yet they still need to convince the villagers that they’re going to do as they promised.

It’s a heist so complicated Baekhyun doesn’t know that they can pull it off. But their backs are against the wall, here.

“We prepared a grand new weapon yesterday,” he begins, trying to summon some resemblance of confidence into his voice. “It’s big, and heavy, and its point so sharp that it’ll pierce right through the creature’s heart. We’ll fool it into the net, and stab at it when it’s defenceless. One way or another, it will die, and set all of us free.”

Teacher Choe’s toothy smile seems so much more sinister now, and in his voice, Baekhyun can hear an edge of that untamed hunger and need he’s heard in Junmyeon’s voice, too. Whenever he’s been close to turning. Yet he has no choice but to smile through it, and try not to give anything away.

“We will all be there, to witness it,” teacher Choe promises. “Our enemy, our gatekeeper… We cannot wait to see it dead in the water. And then, to sail away with you- to return where we belong.”

“Of course, we can’t take all of you with us at once.” Baekhyun isn’t sure what compels him to say that- perhaps the need to appear as though he’s still seriously discussing plans with the man. That these details will matter down the line. “We can only take some of you with us, at first. Our ship is very small, as you know.”

That seems to displease teacher Choe, his face twisting unpleasantly, and Baekhyun now knows what that means. “I mean, of course one of the people we’ll absolutely bring over first will be you, teacher,” he hurries to say. Tries to give him a knowing smile. “And maybe five others, at most. You can pick who those will be. It doesn’t matter to us.”

“Hmm. Very well.” Teacher Choe seems much happier with this idea. “And will you need help from us? How many men do you think you’ll require to succeed in your task?”

“Oh-” Yesterday, all help would have been welcome. But now, it’s not an option that they have. On the shore, yes, but they can’t let anyone on the boat, can’t risk having to fight someone on board while trying to also take care of the leviathan.

Somehow, though, Junmyeon’s face flashes before his eyes, uninvited.

“We think that just having Junmyeon on board should be enough,” he says, and prays that he isn’t too transparent. “We’ve talked about our plans with him a lot, he practically knows it all, so his help would be irreplaceable. And some men on the shore, to push our boat into the water, that sort of thing. But aside from that, we can do it on our own.”

Teacher Choe seems a little doubtful, but he nods anyway. “Hmm, that might be for the best,” he muses. “Our people have a deep-seated fear and resentment for the water, you see. We do not do well in it, or around it. Even if we tried, we might not be of much help in this matter.”

Baekhyun tries to arrange his features into something akin to great sympathy. “That’s right. Chanyeol and I, we’re very used to the sea. We can handle it. So we take care of the leviathan, and then return to the shore to pick you up, and we sail away. Back to the peninsula.”

The way that teacher Choe licks his lips, his eyes gleaming, it forces Baekhyun to divert his eyes. He can almost hear his thoughts- the thought of eating human flesh again, the thought of feasting on as many humans as he can get his hands on, and finally seeing his kin flourish. He must know the taste, must know what they’re all lacking, has probably endured this for far longer than Junmyeon has; how much greed and hunger must he hold, how much anger for being stuck here for all this time?

A hand grasping his wrist startles him out of his disgusted thoughts. He can’t hold back his loud yelp, teacher Choe’s fingers pressing into the cuts Junmyeon left behind last night. “That day ought to come fast,” teacher Choe says, his voice now only a hoarse whisper. Baekhyun whimpers and nods, swallowing thickly- the pain is shooting up his arm, yet he can’t yank his hand free, with how tightly the man is holding onto him. He bandaged the wounds but he worries; if they start bleeding again, teacher Choe might be able to smell it, might turn on him in this moment.

Could Junmyeon make it out of his hiding spot in time to rescue him, or would this monster tear him into pieces before anyone could save him?

“And you ought to keep your promise. You wouldn’t think to not repay our great kindness, our great hospitality?”

Baekhyun hurries to nod his head once more, though he can’t meet his eyes- though for all he knows, it might not even mean anything for these creatures. “Of course, we’re very grateful for everything that you have done,” he murmurs, trying his best to soothe him, using the same tone of voice he’s used on Junmyeon before, whenever he’s been close to snapping. “We’re forever grateful, and indebted to you. We know that, and we will never forget that. We’ll do everything in our power to repay you, as you should.”

“A man who breaks a promise is worth nothing, I hope you know that,” teacher Choe murmurs, but he finally lets go of Baekhyun’s arm. Baekhyun struggles to hide his pain- doesn’t want to give away how badly he’s been injured. “We’ve understood each other so well so far. I want to see our cooperation bear fruit in the end, so that we’ll all have what we most desire. Our freedom.”

“Absolutely.” Baekhyun has to lie through his teeth, but it’s impossible for him to feel bad for it. This monster would eat him for lunch without hesitation, if he thought that Baekhyun couldn’t do anything else to aid him. As such, he has no remorse in doing this.

Somehow, he thinks of Junmyeon once more, but chooses to ignore it. He can’t afford to get sidetracked, not here, not now.

*****

Teacher Choe leaves after making some more pleasant small talk about this and that, and urges him to send Junmyeon for more supplies soon. “You must be well fed, for such an adventure,” he says as he steps through the doorway. “I’ll have the women look through their herbs and medicine, to see if there might be anything that could give you strength. Mayhaps we still have some ginseng left.”

“We would be so grateful,” Baekhyun says, and hastily bows before closing the door, immensely relieved to finally have a barrier between him and this dangerous man.  
When he enters the bedroom, both Chanyeol and Junmyeon are already there, staring at him with imploring eyes.

“I assume you heard everything he said,” Baekhyun murmurs. Now, with all adrenaline leaving his system, he feels completely wiped out. Every muscle, every fiber in his body aches, and though he knows how urgent their situation is, he can barely think straight. “I mean… I don’t know if he knows. If he suspects something. I don’t think he does, though.”

“I don’t think so either,” Chanyeol says with a hum, but he looks tense as well. “I mean, I guess it’s natural for him to feel a little… paranoid? It would be easy for us to turn on him, or to just forget about everyone else, in the heat of the moment. Something like that.”

“I do not think that anyone doubts you,” Junmyeon says quietly. He looks just as worn out as Baekhyun feels. “There has been no such rumor in the village… As far as I’ve heard, anyway.”

But could the villagers have already figured out that Junmyeon’s loyalties are shifting?

Baekhyun’s head is spinning. He sinks down on the mattress, and collapses against Chanyeol. Usually, he’d do this as a joke, to annoy Chanyeol and make him laugh, but now, he feels so utterly helpless and exhausted. No matter where they turn, they’re looking straight in the eyes of danger, and there’s no easy way out. If there’s a way out at all, which he’s losing hope for. His optimism ran out a long time ago.

“We should sleep,” Chanyeol murmurs, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him down with him. Baekhyun doesn’t resist it at all, and just lies down beside him, just like that. “We’re too tired to figure this out. We’ll sleep, and we’re gonna sleep so fucking good, and we’ll worry about the rest when we wake up. Junmyeon too- unless you folk don’t sleep or something.”

Junmyeon seems a little uncomfortable with Chanyeol bringing up his true nature, his lips pursed and eyes narrowed, but he lets it slide regardless. Perhaps he’s practicing his self control, by tolerating their thoughtless words better. “We can sleep, if we so desire,” he replies, picking at a loose thread in his jeoggori. “We do it mostly out of boredom, really. I do not know if I would ever really need to sleep, if I had more exciting things to do. I have not ever really tested that.”

“So sleep with us, then,” Chanyeol invites him. Baekhyun’s knee jerk reaction is fear, at first- to sleep beside a monster, he knows it’s not a good idea. But then, he realises how stupid that is. If Junmyeon wanted, he could have killed them a long time ago, and even when he lost his control last night, he still didn’t. There’s no reason to be cautious of him now, even when they know the truth about him.

Junmyeon looks hesitant to say anything, so Baekhyun decides he should speak up. “You need the rest to heal,” he says, as gentle as he can be. “So stay with us, and sleep. Chanyeollie is right, we’re not gonna get anywhere like this. You can’t even leave the house right now, with your injury. So stay.”

Slowly, as though afraid they’ll take back their invitation at any second, Junmyeon lies down on the mattress beside them, curling up on the far edge of the bed, probably only half way on it, with his back turned to them. Chanyeol opens his mouth but Baekhyun quickly presses his palm over his mouth to stop him, shaking his head. They shouldn’t push him too much- he’s in a fragile state, it seems, and Baekhyun doesn’t want to add to that at all.

So they fall asleep, together, like this. Exhausted after the long, long night they had, afraid and worried for what is to come but helpless against their need for rest. Though the tension and stress run so high, Baekhyun finds himself succumbing to sleep in record time; his mind and body, though scared for his life, are so utterly drained, that the darkness takes over him as soon as he closes his eyes and forces his muscles to relax.

*****

Upon waking up, the first thing he realises is how sweltering hot it is, and how heavy his limbs feel. It’s like they’re made of lead, as he struggles to properly wake up, regain control of his body once more, and even blinking his eyes feels like an impossible feat. But then, slowly, as his mind catches up to what is happening, he realises he’s sandwiched between two bodies- Chanyeol to his left, and Junmyeon to his right, both of their bodies radiating heat like furnaces.

When he turns his head, he comes face to face with Junmyeon, who’s staring at him silently, his dark eyes once again almost unreadable. But there’s only softness and tenderness in what Baekhyun can read- a feeling that he might even confuse for real affection, if he were to see that in Chanyeol’s eyes instead.

“How long have you been awake?” Baekhyun asks, his tongue sticky, his palate dry. “How long have we slept?”

“It’s a couple hours until sunset,” Junmyeon replies in a murmur. “I’ve been awake… for a while. Should I have woken you up?”

“No,” Baekhyun tells him, even if at the same time, he can’t help but feel terrified- every hour they waste, brings them closer to the moment when all preparations will be complete, and the villagers will expect them to take action. “No, it’s okay.”

“I’m awake too,” Chanyeol’s voice is rumbly with sleep, still, as he speaks up. “Couple hours until sunset… What should we do now?”

If they had an answer to that question, none of this would feel so devastating. “I don’t know what we can do,” Baekhyun replies, staring right back at Junmyeon. “I want to do something, anything… But I don’t know what that would be.”

He needs to feel like they’re making progress. Like they’re doing something useful. Yet he comes up short; the net is almost done, their boat mostly fixed, their plans… ruined, but he doesn’t know what to do about that.

“Maybe we should go and visit the boat,” Chanyeol says after a long silence. “I don’t know… see if we can think of any way of reinforcing her hull, or something. Since we can’t kill the fucking thing, it’s gonna take a beating from it. I would feel more at ease knowing that we’ve done at least something in preparation for that.”

“Yeah, we could do that.” Baekhyun swallows, and Junmyeon reaches out with his uninjured hand. Slowly, tentatively, like he doesn’t quite know what he’s doing. Tenderly, he presses his hand against Baekhyun’s cheek, like he must have seen Chanyeol do many times before. Despite himself, Baekhyun smiles a little. “We could still fiddle with the radio, too. See if we could do something about it as well.”

It’s nothing important. Nothing they really ought to do right now- but they all need something, something to at least keep their hands busy. To have something that says they’re not just sitting around, doing nothing. Something that could ease their anxiety, in the face of this hopelessness.

A direction to walk towards, even if the path seems to disappear after only a couple more steps.

“It’s close to sundown, though. We don’t have time to walk there, and then come back.” Chanyeol doesn’t sound worried as he says this. Baekhyun understands why; he’s also beyond worrying about every single thing. There’s danger everywhere, so why care too much?

But it’s still relevant.

“Do you think we’ll be safe at the boat?” he asks Junmyeon. “Why would they come that far? Unless they can smell us, and that would lure them to us. But surely they would assume we’d be here. Like always.”

Junmyeon purses his lips, pulls his hand away. “I’m not sure,” he replies. “We walk around the forest, usually, looking for even a single creature to kill, to satisfy our hunger. Though there haven’t been any in so long… Can you hide in the ship? I could keep guard, make sure no one can get in. I’m still strong, even if wounded. I’m almost healed, anyway.”

Baekhyun rolls over to look at Chanyeol, who nods before he can even ask. “Let’s go,” he says, solemn, even as a humorless smile tugs at the corner his mouth. “It’s time we stop fucking hiding like a bunch of cowards. What are they gonna do, kill us? Like the motherfucking squid isn’t gonna do that.”

“Better not speak things into existence like that,” Baekhyun tells him, even as he gets up. “We should hurry. We wanna get there before the sun goes down.”

*****

It never ceases to disappoint Baekhyun to only be able to see the fog whenever they reach the shore. He only wants to gaze at the horizon, see the sunset, see the promise of rain or sunshine written across the evening skies. Like this, there’s only pressure- an oppressing ring that keeps them captive inside it. A circle of nothing but death, holding them hostage.

“I wonder if we reach safety as soon as we get out of the fog,” he says out loud. “I mean- if the fog marks the territory of the leviathan, or something. We didn’t see a trace of it until we reached the fog, after all. But is it gonna stop chasing us at the edge of it, or is it gonna keep going?”

“We’re gonna find out when we get there,” Chanyeol says with a shrug, before he climbs up the side of the boat to enter. “Are we gonna like… Just catch it in the net, and hope that it’s gonna hold it still long enough for us to get away?”

“I don’t know what else we could do.” Baekhyun scales the side of the ship as well, before reaching down to help Junmyeon up. “We can’t kill it, or injure it too badly. Just the net is gonna be a risk. If it gets tangled so badly that it can’t get out, it’s gonna die anyway.”

“Fuck, I wish I was still allowed to want that thing dead,” Chanyeol mutters under his breath, and Junmyeon giggles a little. It lightens Baekhyun’s heart too, to know that there’s still something funny about this.

“Well, if it does die, we’ll just have to make it to the continent before these guys learn how to build seafaring boats,” he replies, nudging Junmyeon lightly. “We’ll run straight to military and press, get captured as lunatics, and then have the biggest ‘we told you so’ moment in history when these monsters come flooding in.”

“Don’t lump me in with them, I’m not going to be like that,” Junmyeon grumbles, and Baekhyun can’t help but chuckle at that- even at the brief spark of anger in Junmyeon’s eyes. “Even if I do get away from here, I’ll never hurt a single human. Ever.”

“You’re so noble.” Baekhyun ruffles his hair, before dodging out of his reach, scurrying over to the radio. He’s going to try even the stupidest things next, to try and make it work. There’s nothing left to lose, now. “You tell us when we should go beneath the deck to hide, okay? Just keep an eye out.”

They work for a while without interruptions. Chanyeol stays busy underneath the deck, doing what he can to reinforce the boat’s structure, while Baekhyun fiddles with the radio, and the sonar system as well, connecting wires experimentally, just to try and see if he could fix it by accident. Junmyeon takes small trips closer to the treeline to listen, to spy for monsters on the hunt, but all seems to be well.

As the last bit of sunlight wanes, Baekhyun glances at Junmyeon. He can’t help but feel wary, now that darkness is settling in. “Will you… turn into a monster now?” he asks. He knows it’s insensitive, but he needs to know. “Is it a mandatory thing? Something that just… has to happen?”

Junmyeon shakes his head. “Rather, it’s like the urge grows too strong to resist,” he explains, touching his chest over his heart. “During the day, it’s easier. But at night… It’s easier to hunt, I suppose. Our instincts are the strongest then. It’s possible to fight it off, but most times… most times it’s too hard. Most times there’s no point in that.So no, it doesn’t have to happen- but it usually does.”

“Is it gonna happen now?”

“It could. It probably will, at some point.” Junmyeon clears his throat. “I will do my best to stave it off long enough to warn you. And even if I turn, even when I turn, I won’t attack you. I swear.”

“We trust you.” Chanyeol says it so earnestly too, and Baekhyun doesn’t feel like objecting his brave promise. Promise of faith- that Junmyeon truly won’t harm them again, despite it being in his very nature to do so. It’s a lot to ask of him, but Junmyeon seems so convinced. And injured like this, perhaps they could fight him off, even if he did get out of hand with his thirst for human flesh and blood.

Baekhyun gets only quiet blips and nonsensical white noise out of the radio, no matter how much he fiddles with it, no matter which wire he connects to where. Even him just blindly jabbing at the thing changes nothing, and he worries for the battery of the ship- it must be half dead by now, and he doesn’t want to push it too much.

“Is there anything I could help you with?” he asks Chanyeol, giving up on this hopeless project. As nice as it would have been to have a working radio, it’s not in the books for them. “Do you want my help with anything?”

“I think I’ve done most that I can.” Chanyeol pokes his head through from underneath the deck. It’s really getting hard to see now- Baekhyun feels so unsettled. After avoiding the dark for this long, after hiding indoors as soon as the sun was about to set for weeks, being outdoors in this darkness feels twice as frightening. His every instinct is screaming against this, demanding for him to hide. To find safety- wherever that may be. “I wedged in support beams where I could. Without welding equipment there’s not much else we can do for this poor fucking ship. It’s just gonna have to hold it together, until we get the fuck away from here.”

Baekhyun nods, and reaches out a hand to stroke Chanyeol’s hair. “We’ve done what we could,” he murmurs, trying to find the words that would comfort both him and Chanyeol. Yet he keeps coming up empty handed. “We’ve tried our best, haven’t we? We’ve put up a good fight… So if we have to die so that the rest of the humanity can live, then is that so bad?”

“It’s fucking terrible,” Chanyeol grumbles, hauling himself up and on the deck. He pulls Baekhyun into his arms, and holds him tightly, his grip so tight that Baekhyun has to move his arms lower so he can still breathe. “I don’t wanna be the one who has to make that sacrifice, Hyun-ah.”

“But it has to be us. Whether we stay here or try to leave, we’re still gonna have to sacrifice ourselves.” Baekhyun can sense the irony. They’ve never been the hero type; rather, they prefer a comfortable life, with plenty of food and video games. Sure, fishing has never been an easy way to make money, but it’s all they’ve ever known.

He never even toyed with the idea. Which one would he choose, his own life or the fate of the humanity? But somehow, standing on this last shore, the choice has already been made, and though he’s angry, though he’s sad, he knows there’s no other way. Facing down the truth, at last, there’s certain calmness in that. In knowing that whatever happens, it’s the inevitable. Whichever path they choose, it’ll always lead them right back to here.

“It’s so our parents can live. Your sister, my brother, their kids. Everyone else who’s unaware that these monsters are here, waiting to eat them all alive. Our lives… The two of us, what do we matter.” Baekhyun knows it to be true, even if his heart protests it. “At least it’ll be over quickly, I’m sure. At least we’ll both be gone, so we don’t have to grieve each other.”

Before Chanyeol can say anything, Junmyeon’s voice comes from the darkness. “I will mourn both of you, if you die and leave me behind,” he says, and he’s never been more serious than this. “I will mourn you… If I survive, I will never forget you.”

“I’m sorry.” Chanyeol chooses his words so right. “We’re sorry. We didn’t mean to hurt you, Junmyeon. We didn’t mean to do any of this… We’re sorry. It’s not fair.”

“No, it isn’t,” the monster boy says with a heavy, weary sigh. “How come you get to escape the sorrow… And I do not? How come you get to save so many, and I cannot save even the two of you?”

“Don’t be so pessimistic.” Baekhyun pulls away from Chanyeol’s embrace. “You know, we might succeed… We might get away. You could maybe save us, after all.”

“Maybe.” Junmyeon’s answer is cut short- he whips his head around, and then turns to them, grabs them to shove them towards the ladder. “They’re coming closer,” he hisses, and his voice is rapidly losing its human qualities. “Get down there, now. Get down!”

Chanyeol and Baekhyun don’t even have time to watch their feet as they tumble down, and Junmyeon slams the trap door shut, even jams the bolt through so it’s locked from the outside. There’s no way of doing it from the inside- this space was only ever meant to be storage, nothing more. The darkness is so complete, much like the cellar they previously spent their night in, and Baekhyun reaches out to Chanyeol blindly, to pull him close, to crawl with him to the far corner of the ship. To make themselves as small as possible.

Outside, they can hear the blood-curling howls and growls- at first it’s only Junmyeon, but then, other voices join in. Like a wolf pack, or perhaps rapid dogs, circling in closer, curious but cautious.

They feel it more so than hear it, when Junmyeon jumps down onto the beach, can hear the rocks moving, can hear his rugged breaths, his bitten back snarls. If those mean anything- if they’re a language of their own, and not just a sign of aggression, they have no way of telling. All they can do is hold perfectly still, nervous to even breathe.

The trap door, they can’t keep shut from the inside. If someone decides to open it, they can only watch it happen. Their only exit blocked, they’ll die like bugs, cornered in like this.

Baekhyun can feel how shallow Chanyeol’s breaths come, how rabid they are. But even rubbing his arm feels like it’s too much noise, as they strain to listen to the sounds from outside. Unsure of how well these monsters can hear, how far their abilities might go.

There’s more snarling, and then a gruff voice that Baekhyun can’t quite place. “Why are you here,” he imagines it says, can’t be so sure when there are so many teeth in the way of speaking normally, and an abnormally long tongue. “Why are you here?”

“Got restless,” is what he thinks Junmyeon replies. Assumes it’s Junmyeon, anyway. “Got bored of guarding the house. Everyone should know better than to try something stupid.”

“We’re all restless,” another voice joins in. Then, loud sniffing fills the air. “The smell of humans, so close… Their smell lingering on everything, it makes my mouth water, makes my claws itch for something to rip apart…”

Someone runs their hand, no, their claws along the hull of the ship, almost right next to where they’re hiding inside, and Baekhyun’s heart nearly leaps out of his chest in fear. “Around the house and around the ship, the smell drives us all mad… I cannot even go near the house, at night, or else I might tear through its walls to get to them. To get a bite of fresh meat…”

Baekhyun closes his eyes, clutches Chanyeol closer still. He wishes that this conversation, these words spoken, he’s only making them up. Trying to find words in nonsensical animal noises. But none of his wishes have been granted, as of late. The image of it, of monsters circling their house while they slept, oblivious to the danger they were in, it’s haunting. He doesn’t know that he can ever have a good rest there, having been both attacked inside of it, and stalked from the outside.

“Which is why Junmyeon should be there, to make sure no one does anything stupid. The humans included.”

“I will, I will,” Junmyeon murmurs back, snapping his teeth. “Why am I always on babysitting duty? It’s driving me crazy. To just sit around and do nothing.”

“Because you’re the only one who can do that. Who can just sit, and do nothing to those two.” Fingers tap against the metal of the ship, the sound echoing underneath the deck like the sound of church bells. “I do not understand how you do it. How can you resist the hunger?”

“I do not know.” Junmyeon sounds so terse as he says it. But perhaps Baekhyun is only imagining that- how much emotion can a monster have? “It isn’t that difficult. I know they have to stay alive.”

The sound of laughter that his statement arouses, it’s like nails on a chalkboard, horrifying and unnatural. Baekhyun can’t help but bristle at it- it’s worse than any villain laugh he’s ever heard in movies, worse than squeaky hinges on an old door. It’s high pitched but raspy at the same time, a strange combination overlaid with something sinister. Something just purely evil. They’ve heard Junmyeon laugh, but it’s never been like this- it’s never been so utterly terrifying.

“That is true. So run off, now, and see to it.” It sounds like a command, and Baekhyun wonders if it might be teacher Choe. With how their voices get distorted, he wouldn’t be so surprised that he couldn’t recognize him. “We need them to stay alive a little longer.”

“No,” Chanyeol whispers at the same time as Junmyeon speaks, and Baekhyun presses his hand over Chanyeol’s mouth to silence him. He’s just as terrified, but he knows they’ll be caught immediately if they make any sort of noise- Junmyeon speaking up is the only thing that covers up for their mistake.

“Yes, of course,” Junmyeon mumbles, and then, there is the sound of someone sprinting away, fast. Further and further away, until they can no longer hear the sound of footsteps on the slippery rocks and wet sand stuck in between.

But still, the hand resting on the hull of the ship, it stays. No one else moves, as though waiting- waiting for something. Baekhyun can barely breathe, with how wild with fear he is. Their only protector is gone, and now, they’re surrounded by these blood-thirsty creatures just waiting to sink their teeth into them. Creatures that won’t think twice about it, if only they find out that they’re here. That they’re not locked away inside the house- though from what they said, perhaps they could have come in and attacked them all along.

Perhaps Junmyeon has been the only reason they’ve survived this long.

The silence is eerie. There’s nothing but the sound of waves crashing to shore, as everyone stays still. Perfectly still- waiting, counting, calculating.

“Let’s go.” It’s impossible to tell who says it, but everyone seems to spring into movement once more. Circling around the boat, then sprinting away, then darting back, moving erratically with no plan, but at last- silence, this time without threat, without fear.

Yet Baekhyun still can’t breathe easy. Can’t trust this- can’t trust this safety. For he has learned that there is none.

There was only the illusion of it.

“Tomorrow. We leave tomorrow.” Chanyeol’s whisper is so quiet that Baekhyun has to strain to hear him over the sound of waves, yet it still startles him. Worries him, for who knows. They might still be listening. “We have to get out of here. I can’t fucking stand this any longer. We have to leave, Baekhyun. We have to get out.”

“I know.” It’s driving them both mad, this island, and though now, their chances of getting out alive are slim to none, it’ll still be easier to bear than this. Even death could be easier, than this slow, grinding torture. “We will.”

Chanyeol is quiet for so long that Baekhyun thinks he might have fallen asleep. Then, he speaks up again, still in a quiet murmur. “What are we gonna do about Junmyeon?” he asks, completely taking Baekhyun by surprise. “I mean… If he’s gonna be in the boat with us, to help us, are we really just gonna… let him come with us?”

“I haven’t thought about that.” Except yes, he has. A little bit. The thought was at the back of his head today, as he tried to sort through this mess, tries to make it make sense. It was never fully articulated, but it was there. Looming. Waiting for its time. He just didn’t think that Chanyeol was thinking about it as well. “It’s… It’s hard. How are we gonna kick him off that boat, if we’re not gonna take him with us?”

Even if the net would be enough to hold the leviathan captive long enough for them to escape, Junmyeon would still surely die in the water. How would he even know how to swim? Asking him to get off the boat would mean asking him to sacrifice himself, for them. Is there even a way to ask that of him, especially after all he’s done for them?

“But how are we gonna bring a monster like that to shore with us? Doesn’t that really just defeat the purpose of this whole thing?” Chanyeol’s tone is almost confrontational, but Baekhyun can’t understand why. “Do you really think we can control him out there? When he could finally hunt and eat all he wanted?”

“I can’t ask him to die for us.” Baekhyun drums his fingers against Chanyeol’s chest. “And I can’t ask him to die for people he hasn’t even met. So perhaps, then, he shouldn’t get on the boat. If you think that we can’t risk it.”

Chanyeol sighs, and inside the ship, it sounds a lot bigger than it is. A lot more loaded with emotion, than it probably is. “That’s not what I was trying to say,” he insists, and now Baekhyun is thoroughly confused.

“What are you even saying?” It’s getting harder to keep his voice down. “You just told me all the reasons why we can’t have him on the boat, and I know that you can’t let him die any more than I can. So isn’t leaving him on the shore the only option that we have?”

“So you’re just gonna pretend that you’re fucking fine with leaving him behind? That you have no fucking problem with that?”

“Of course I have a problem!” Baekhyun feels like screaming, and the fact that he can’t only makes it worse. “Of course I don’t wanna leave him behind when we’ve become such good friends! When he’s done so much for us. Yeah, sure, he’s a man eating monster, but like… When I look at him, that’s not what I see. That’s not what I care about. So no, I don’t want to leave him here when I know we can never see him again. But if we have to…”

If they have to do it, it’s still going to be awful.

“Are we sure that he sees us as friends only, and not something more?” There’s less edge to Chanyeol’s voice now, less accusation, but there’s still definite tension there. “Are we sure that we see him as a friend only, and not anything more?”

Baekhyun’s first response is to counter that somehow. To bite back an answer, and think about it later. But instead, he gives himself time to mull it over. Once, twice.

“I don’t have a real answer to that.” It’s the truth, even if unsatisfying. “I guess… It’s just been really hard to think about anything but our survival. If he means something… to us… Perhaps he does. But I don’t know what to call that. What it would be. What it would mean. Especially now… especially after yesterday.”

Perhaps, there are feelings. Perhaps, they’re not just feelings he would have for a friend. But after finding out the truth about Junmyeon… Baekhyun feels torn.

If he can truly be so attached to a creature such as that.

“I know.” Chanyeol rubs his arm, and that’s when Baekhyun knows he’s not upset. “I know all that. I’ve been thinking about it, too- when both of you were gone, in the workshop. I thought about him, and us… And maybe, if this was different, there could be something. If we weren’t stuck here, at least. If he…”

“If he wasn’t a monster,” Baekhyun finishes the sentence for him.

Again, it’s the truth, even if disappointing.


	7. Chapter 7

It’s another nearly sleepless night for them. They’re awoken from their fitful rest when Junmyeon comes to open the door for them, calling out to them from afar as he runs up to the boat, clearly anxious to get to them, his footsteps hurried as he sprints across the beach and all the way to the ship. The light streaming in through the doorway, as Junmyeon opens the trap door, it looks as though the gates of heaven themselves have opened up. And there’s Junmyeon, like one of God’s angels, leaning in, reaching down to them to help them climb out, with a careful smile on his lips. Cautious, but glad to see them.

“I am so sorry I had to abandon you last night,” he says as soon as they make it back on the deck, stretching out their sore muscles after being stuck in the cramped space for so long. “I’m so terribly sorry! I only did it because I didn’t want them to get suspicious. If they had realized where you were… Just thinking about it makes me feel sick.”

“Thankfully, no such thing happened.” Baekhyun smiles at him, and gently touches his arm to comfort him. He doesn’t want to hear any worst case scenarios- he had the entire night to imagine it to himself in all too vivid detail. “It’s alright. We know you had no choice.” 

“That’s right.” Chanyeol leans in to kiss Baekhyun on the cheek, and offers a smile to Junmyeon as well. But even despite his display of affection, Baekhyun can tell how tense he is- or maybe it’s because he himself is so nervous. If today’s the day… Then they’re only hours away from either freedom or death. 

He doesn’t want to give in to any melodramatic tendencies, but he can’t help but feel the looming weight of it all, its constant presence at the back of his mind. Walking back from the shore to the village, taking in the tall trees, the silence of it. Realizing that this is probably the second last time they’ll make this journey, as familiar as it has become; the path now significantly more worn down from their footsteps alone, as they’ve made the trip between the boat and the house so many times in these past days, weeks. 

The knowledge that this could be one of the last few things he does before the end. 

Entering the village feels nerve-wracking, to say the least. They’re all still recovering from injuries, they all have something to hide, and now is the last moment where all could go wrong. They could be caught- they could be found out. Their ruse, it could end just like that- or worse yet, the fragile self-restraint of these monsters could finally give in and break. Walking in to the village is much like walking into a trap, only that they don’t know if it’s been set to catch them or not.

But for such a significant moment, the village doesn’t seem so different from when they first set foot in it. The early morning sunshine is gentle and soft as it comes in through the foliage and the fog, enveloping the buildings in its warm glow. People are mingling about, and though they do stop and stare when they notice them approaching, everything is so quiet. So peaceful, almost, even if it’s only on the surface. 

Just how the waves hide the long tentacles of the leviathan, this is also barely a façade. 

In more ways than one.

Junmyeon hurries forth, to get in between them and the villagers. “Is the net ready?” he asks the women closest to them, gesturing with his uninjured hand, his right hand hidden behind his back, tucked underneath the long hem of his jeoggori. “They say that they could take on the leviathan today, if only the net is all sewn together.”

It’s like they practiced this, somehow- like Junmyeon’s words are the secret code that sets everything in motion. The word seems to spread like wildfire, as people start pouring in, talking animatedly, the circle closing in on Baekhyun and Chanyeol who instinctively huddle closer to one another. The knowledge of who and what these people are, it makes this terrifying, yet they have no choice but to let it happen. 

“They’re ready,” a murmur goes through the crowd. “They’re ready. They will do it today. Today. We’re going to be free today.” 

The flurry of motion is dizzying. The women bring out the net while others gather supplies; Junmyeon darts into their house to bring out the crowbar and their few personal belongings. Food is brought out to them, and given to them like offerings to gods, as the murmur grows into a chant, almost: Today. They’re ready. Today. People are running in and out of their homes, carrying bundles like they’re ready to leave the island right now, this instant. Ready to start over- ready to feast on human flesh, in a land they’ve never seen before. 

The thought makes the food taste like ashes in Baekhyun’s mouth, and though he swallows big gulps of water, there’s still a lump stuck in his throat. 

Teacher Choe appears, in the midst of it all, immediately commanding attention. “The day has finally come,” he declares, so loud that it echoes from the wall of trees around them. “The day when we will finally be set free! These two brave men will take on the leviathan today, and kill it! To set us all free!”

“Today. They’re ready.” The crowd says this like it’s practiced somehow, and Baekhyun is brought back in time to the first village meeting they ever saw. This time, it’s far less organized- a spontaneous explosion of activity at the heart of the village, as everyone is literally too excited to stay still. But the fervor and the manic obsession, it’s all there, and now, he finally understands it for what it is. 

They’re ready to end their long era of starvation, and move onto a plentiful harvest. 

He wants to throw up. 

Teacher Choe turns to them, smiling widely. “What else might you need to complete this task? Just say the word, and we will provide it to you,” he promises generously, but Chanyeol shakes his head at this. “We don’t need anything, thank you,” he assures them, and the crowd goes silent as they listen to his every word like sermon. “We checked up on the boat this morning- it’s all good. We just need the items we prepared, and uh, well, we will explain the plan in more detail on the beach. We’re gonna need some, uh, strong men to help us out, in getting the ship back in the water. But that should be all.”

“That, we have plenty,” teacher Choe chuckles, and the crowd joins him, the sound more like crows crying out than a genuine sound of laughter. “Whatever it takes, we will gladly do it.” 

“What are we waiting for, then?” Baekhyun offers them his best fake smile. He doesn’t feel ready- doesn’t know at all what they’re going to do, exactly, but he knows that it’s time.   
The entire village is hungry for their blood and flesh. Their own minds are slowly succumbing to the madness of this all. The leviathan is still waiting for them to make their first move. 

Time is ticking. 

They’ve never seen the villagers so elated and animated, as they are while making the long walk back to the beach. They’re singing, the tension high and palpable, their eyes gleaming with something that they now know isn’t just childlike joy and excitement. Several villagers approach them during the journey, to give them encouraging nods or awkward pats on the shoulder, their smiles full of teeth and red at the edges, their voices husky- perhaps, it’s harder for them to contain their inner monsters when they’re running high on emotions like this, no matter how positive they are. 

Each touch makes Baekhyun want to cower, duck his head down, dodge it- his entire body screaming to get away, get away from these predators who plan to do nothing but feast on his flesh as soon as they arrive at the shore in the mainland. And it’s also protective; the scratches Junmyeon left behind, they hurt, and he’s afraid they’ll bleed through the bandages, that his weakness will be given away. 

That they’ll smell blood, and attack. 

It would make things easier, but that isn’t the way he wants to go. The horrid images play vividly in his mind’s eye, and Baekhyun can’t help but shiver. 

They’ve come too far to die like that. He hopes the villagers know this, as well. 

Despite the lingering tension, Baekhyun still takes Chanyeol’s hand in his. To seek comfort, and reassurance. Chanyeol glances at him, but not even a hint of a smile is to be seen, his features arranged into something uncomfortably serious for his usually jovial face. But his hand, it’s still sturdy in Baekhyun’s, still grips him tightly when he needs it, guides him through the forest and out of the woods, even surrounded by monsters. 

Which ones chased them, when they were almost caught in the darkness? Which ones lurked around them, wild with their hunger for human flesh? 

The thoughts won’t leave Baekhyun’s head, and he knows, needs to get away from here. The tension is getting to be too much. 

Everyone is in such a rush, too, that the trek ends much sooner than when Baekhyun and Chanyeol make it alone. Baekhyun is a little winded afterwards, the lack of sleep getting to him- it crosses his mind that maybe they should postpone this, should try and get a good rest before taking on this goliath, but everything in him says no. No, he can’t wait any longer, Chanyeol can’t wait any longer. One of them is going to lose it, if they stay here even for one more day. 

“We’ve got this.” Chanyeol says it almost as though he’s read Baekhyun’s thoughts, heard the hint of doubt creeping into his heart. “We can do this. We’re as prepared as we can be- we’ve got everything ready. Nothing’s gonna change even if we talk this through for the hundredth time. We’re gonna put the net in the water, catch the fucking dinosaur squid, get the boat in the water, you know the drill. We’ve done everything we could.” 

“You’re right.” They’ve exhausted their every resource- even their bodies have been pushed to the limit with their recent injuries and the terrible food. Now that they can’t physically harm the leviathan, well, it only makes their plans easier; all they can do is try and sail out of here, and hope for the best. Hope that the net is going to hold long enough for them to get away. 

A circle forms around them, as people huddle closer to listen. All eyes on them- and all they can do is lie. They’ll betray all of these people, no, monsters. They’ll leave them here, or die trying. 

Baekhyun can feel the cold sweat trickling down his back underneath his shirt, and it’s not just from the effort of walking all the way here. 

He looks up at Chanyeol, and holds his gaze. Tries to find comfort there; a promise that it’s all going to be okay. 

Chanyeol’s eyes are full of hope, full of affection, but there’s no certainty there. How could there be any, with plans this poor, with so many questions still left unanswered? 

Baekhyun’s focus drifts to Junmyeon, unprompted. He’s possibly the biggest question still- the biggest moral dilemma out of them all. But now, there is no time to talk, no time to think. 

If all goes well, they could be home before sunset, but it feels so far away. 

They finally arrive on the beach, and the air is suddenly even more electric with pent up energy. This is it- the scene has been set.

“Alright, so the plan’s real fucking simple,” Chanyeol says out loud, startling Baekhyun out of his jumbled thoughts. “We’re using our expertise as fishers here, so please just trust us, okay? So everyone listen carefully.” The circle presses in closer, cages them in. Chanyeol’s grip on Baekhyun’s fingers grows tighter still. “We’re gonna get the net into the water, and spread it out as well as possible so that when the beast swims up to the surface, it’s gonna get caught in it. We’re probably just gonna lure it in by throwing something into the water, it seems to be enough to fool it. This is gonna be dangerous.”

“Really dangerous,” Baekhyun emphasizes. “So we’re going to handle that. Then, once the net is in place, we’re going to get into the boat, and the strongest men here will get ready to push the ship into the water. Junmyeon is gonna join us, because we want somebody really strong with us and he knows everything we’ve discussed.” Baekhyun glances at teacher Choe quickly. He suddenly realizes how unlikely it would be for him to just allow them to get in the boat by themselves- even if risking Junmyeon’s life like this is necessary for what they’re trying to achieve, he’s going to be their ticket out of here. 

“Someone will toss a rock or something into the net, the leviathan is gonna swim up, get caught, and the boat will go into the water. We’re gonna get up to the leviathan, and kill it.” Baekhyun mimics a throwing motion, and Junmyeon repeats it next to Chanyeol with the makeshift harpoon. “Once we’re sure it’s dead, we’re gonna come back to the shore to take some of you on board.” Lying through his teeth has never been his forte, but Baekhyun hopes that they’re bad enough at reading facial expressions that they’ll be fooled. “We can’t take everyone at once, so you’re going to have to decide who’s gonna go first.”

The whispers begin immediately, as people start arguing as to who should get to go first. It’s a relief- it’s less attention on them, less pressure on them now. Can these monsters trust one another? Can they trust those who go first to come back for those who stay behind? Baekhyun has no idea, doesn’t know if they’ve ever discussed it, and he doesn’t care.   
He looks out to the sea, to the inconspicuous waves rolling to the shore, the fog surrounding them. Out there, somewhere, is home- and also the leviathan. 

There’s no part about their plan which is safe, or easy, or secure, yet they have no choice but to dive in head first. 

“I’ll go into the water,” Chanyeol says before Baekhyun can speak up. Baekhyun’s disdain for this suggestion must be visible on his face, for he hurries to continue. “No, seriously. It’s okay. I’m taller, I can wade in deeper. I’m the muscle in this operation, don’t you think? I’ll do it.”

Baekhyun wants to argue, but he doesn’t know how, or why. What does it matter who goes into the water? The dangers are the same, the risks the same. Really, it’s a choice between two things unrelated to the task itself; which one seems easier, to die or to watch someone you love die? 

Baekhyun doesn’t have an answer, but it is so, so difficult to let Chanyeol do this again. 

Yet still, he nods, and wonders what that choice says about him. 

Everyone makes way as they walk up to the waterline, all supplies left behind except for the net and the length of rope from before. It’s a sickening repeat of their earlier endeavor- watching Chanyeol get undressed, tying the rope around his body, Junmyeon finding a place to anchor himself with the other end of it in his hands. At least this time, they can ask others for help- but only help in anchoring Junmyeon down. None of them would ever get in the water, Baekhyun knows this for sure, and he loathes it. Loathes that he has to put Chanyeol in danger once again. 

Yet the biggest danger is yet to come.

He turns to teacher Choe even as Chanyeol begins to wade into the water. “If someone could run a little way in that direction, and maybe toss rocks in the water,” he tells him, asks him, demands from him. “So the monster would be distracted. It’s too shallow here for it to attack Chanyeol, so let’s make it focus on something that it thinks it can get.” 

“Good idea.” Teacher Choe wastes no time in beckoning over two of the men, and as soon as he’s done explaining the plan to them, they take off running immediately. They can’t even hide their super human speed in their excitement, dashing forward much faster than any human ever could. Baekhyun purposefully looks away, and returns to Junmyeon’s side, watching Chanyeol walk further into the water, the net trailing behind him as he slowly sets it in the water. 

“Easy, does it,” he calls out, feigning confidence he doesn’t possess. Each of his nerve endings is sparking with messages of fear and panic, his every instinct screaming at him, yet he can only try and swallow it down. Tell his body to stay still. That no matter how horrific this is, he has no choice but to sit with it, let it happen. Let Chanyeol enter the realm of the leviathan, while he stays behind with dozens of monsters hungry for his flesh. 

They could lose everything in a heartbeat. 

“The leviathan is splashing water over there,” Junmyeon tells him in a quiet murmur, his ears picking up on noises that Baekhyun is unable to hear. “It is not here right now. Your idea is working, Baekhyunnie.”

“That’s a relief,” Baekhyun replies, though none of the tension leaves his body. The water comes up to Chanyeol’s waist now, the net floating in the water behind him, supported by the floaters on either side. Rather than having the net suspended vertically in the water, they decided that laying it horizontally would work best- that way, they’d cover more surface area, would have a better chance at catching this beast. It does look almost pitifully small like this, however, and terribly delicate; it seems unlikely that it could ever hold the leviathan down. Yet it’s their only weapon, now. 

There’s still plenty of it left in Chanyeol’s arms, as he continues to wade in further. Every inch in Baekhyun’s body aches to call out to him, tell him to return to the shore, but he doesn’t allow the words to leave his lips. Just watches his broad back, feels the scabs stretching across his, and prays that Chanyeol returns to him unscathed. 

So that at least they get to try and sail away from this island. 

Chanyeol walks in as far as he can, before he turns to look at Baekhyun over his shoulder. And he’s grinning- he’s actually smiling, like he’s actually proud, exhilarated. Baekhyun really can’t believe him, can’t believe he’s so audacious. Audaciously himself. 

“I’ll let the rest of it go with the waves,” Chanyeol calls out, even as he slowly unfurls the last length of the net into the water, letting the flow of it spread it out for him little by little, the floaters bobbing up and down with the waves. 

“Is the leviathan still over there?” Baekhyun asks, and Junmyeon nods tersely. 

“It is. But it is very smart. It will not be long until it figures out that we are only trying to fool it. It will come here to see what’s going on soon.” Junmyeon glances up at him, but Baekhyun cannot hold his gaze right now. Not when he’s still so torn about everything. 

“Chanyeol, hurry up,” he shouts out instead, and Chanyeol nods in reply, his hands working faster. “We don’t have much time.” They have to be in the boat before the leviathan comes. They don’t get much time once it’s tangled in the nest, so they have to be quick. 

It’s agonizing, watching Chanyeol work and being so helpless to aid him. Baekhyun can barely stay still, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, anxious, and he can see that same nervousness in Junmyeon, how he flexes his arms, adjusts his grip on the rope, his eyes moving quickly as he stares at the surface of the water, checking for signs of danger. 

“I cannot hear the leviathan anymore,” he says after a while. “I think it’s heading this way.” 

“Chanyeol, come back now,” Baekhyun yells, and Chanyeol obeys, tossing the end of the net into the water, grabbing the length of rope attached to the corner of it, and then turning around to wade back to the shore. The surface of the water remains untroubled, however, except for the waves rippling through it- nothing there to suggest that something might be lurking underneath, biding its time. 

Baekhyun can’t wait until Chanyeol makes it to dry land, dashing over to help him, rid him of the rope attached to him even as he walks, and grabbing the line connected with the net before handing it over to the person standing closest to them. “Just hold it steady, so it doesn’t start drifting,” he tells them, not even paying attention, his focus already on the next task at hand. 

Chanyeol gets dressed again, hurriedly pulling on clothes, and Baekhyun grabs both him and Junmyeon to head towards the boat. Everything is happening both too slow and too fast all at once, his mind torn between making haste and putting off the inevitable. “We need a few strong people in position to push the boat back into the water,” he commands, uncaring if he sounds rude now. They only get one chance at this. “Junmyeon, grab a couple of rocks. We need to bait the leviathan to go where we want it.” 

His frantic attitude seems to spread through the crowd gathered on the beach, everyone moving about restlessly, aimlessly, unsure of what to do, where to be, where to look. Baekhyun pushes Junmyeon up the side of the ship first, and he’s just about to climb up himself when suddenly, teacher Choe is by his side- also climbing up the side of the ship, even if a little less practiced in his motions. 

“What are you doing?” Baekhyun can’t hold himself back, and in his surprise, he tumbles over the edge unceremoniously, falling onto the deck and rolling back up on his feet. Chanyeol isn’t far behind, looking just as bewildered as Baekhyun feels. There’s a wild look in Junmyeon’s eyes as well, as he stares at the old man who stands up on the deck as though this is exactly where he’s supposed to be. 

“I’m coming with you,” he says, and he almost makes it sound like the most natural thing in the world. “I know you cannot ask anyone to risk their lives like this, and I cannot ask anyone to do that either, so I figured I shall volunteer instead.” The smile he gives them is anything but sincere, however, and Baekhyun knows perfectly well why he’s doing this. He doesn’t trust them- doesn’t want to risk them getting away without the villagers, without him. 

“You can’t,” Chanyeol says, harsh, before he backpedals. “I mean- you shouldn’t! It’s too dangerous. We’ll handle it, it’s totally fine. We’ve thought this through, we’ve got this. We don’t want you to be in danger!” 

But teacher Choe just shakes his head. “You need all the help you can get,” he insists, and Baekhyun just knows that he can’t be persuaded to get off this ship. “I am here to assist you with whatever you need my help with, I promise you that. And should I die, well, it is a risk I’m taking willingly. For the sake of my people.” 

For the sake of ensuring his own escape, that is, but Baekhyun can’t say that. Can’t have this argument right now- they have no time to waste. 

“Everyone, get ready,” he yells, ignoring the panicked look Chanyeol gives him. They can’t let these people know how badly this messes up their plans, or else they’ll all begin to suspect something. “Junmyeon, throw the rocks into the water, on this side of the net when I tell you to. Hopefully the leviathan is still on that side, so when it comes this way, it swims into the net. When it does, and as soon as it’s stuck, we have to set sail and hurry over there.”

He stands by the wheel, ready to turn on the engines, his hands going through the familiar motions of getting ready to sail without him even having to think about it. Chanyeol comes over to hover near him as well, as teacher Choe moves with Junmyeon to the other end of the boat. 

But Baekhyun once again silences him before he can say anything at all. “We have no choice. We’ll just… figure it out, somehow.” Though really, there isn’t much to figure out- they absolutely cannot bring teacher Choe with them to the continent, and if he has even an ounce of loyalty for his kin, he’s going to put up a fight as soon as he realizes what their plan actually is. That scenario really only has one kind of ending- someone is going to have to die.

Chanyeol takes his hand and squeezes it tightly, before giving him one last kiss. Baekhyun never wants him to let go, never wants him to step away from him, but they have to- there’s no time for goodbyes, not anymore. 

“Whatever happens, know that I love you.” Chanyeol says it so seriously, and Baekhyun can only nod in response, his chest tight with emotions he can’t let loose right now.

“Junmyeon, now.” He knows he doesn’t have to yell for Junmyeon to hear him, and without even looking, he can hear the first rock land in the water. Then the second, and a third. 

He finally turns to look then, holding his breath. The rings grow in the water, spreading out until the waves finally wash them away, while everything else stays still; even time seems to have stopped, as they all wait, wait for something to happen, everyone’s eyes fixated on that one spot, the silence so loaded that it rings in Baekhyun’s ears. 

In those short seconds, he finds himself praying. Praying to whoever might be listening that their plan works. That they get to go home at last- no matter the price he has to pay, he just wants to see their home one more time, with Chanyeol, and to know that they’re safe. 

Or if that is too much, at least let their bodies wash up on the shore somewhere. So that their parents can at least have a proper funeral for them- if he can have nothing else, then at least he wants his family to have that bit of closure, that bit of comfort, even if horrific in its own right. 

And then, the leviathan leaps out of the water. 

The sight of its hideous form never becomes less frightening, less terrifying, its unnaturally large, misshapen carcass rising out of the waves like a whale long since dead, its jaws open, the tentacles beating the water wildly as it propels itself forward. But this time, it falls back into the water much too soon, its massive body twisting and turning, and Baekhyun can now see how the floaters are moving towards it as it twists the net around itself, as it gets more and more tangled in it.

“Push now! Push us into the water now!” He screams over the sound of the sea monster trashing in the water, and the men standing next to the vessel snap out of their mesmerized trance, finally jumping into motion, all hands on the hull of the ship as they begin to push her along the sand and rocks and into the water. No one still has the presence of mind to even hide their strength, and the boat slides into the water with a splash, rocking from side to side as though she as well has whiplash. 

“Keep pushing! We need to get further into the water.” The men hesitate, but Baekhyun doesn’t have the patience for this. “Hurry up! You can see where the leviathan is, it’s not going to get you! Hurry!”

Not all of them are brave enough to set foot into the water, but those who are, wade in to give the boat one last push- and so, as the bottom finally stops dragging across the ocean floor, she’s sailing again, something which Baekhyun and Chanyeol had been waiting so eagerly for. 

But there is no time to rejoice. 

Chanyeol has already darted below the deck to start the engines, since the electricals aren’t working properly. Baekhyun takes charge of the helm and he can feel the engines rumbling to life, can sense it as he puts his hands on the wheel, and when the boat turns where he wants it, he knows that they have a fighting chance. 

He looks up, and the leviathan is still there- struggling on the surface, its tentacles battling the net like a massive hoard of snakes, writhing and sliding together, beating the water to keep its heavy body afloat. It’s horrifying to look at, the beast suddenly much closer than ever before, its massive size and strength displayed so vividly as it continues to twist and turn in its effort to escape from the net. But it only tangles itself further and further into the trap- scanning the surface of the water, Baekhyun can’t see any more floaters bobbing up and down in the waves. The entire net is now wrapped around the beast, and seems as if it’s completely stuck. 

Teacher Choe is grinning from ear to ear, and his teeth seem utterly too sharp and plentiful for a human. His glee knows no bounds, as he stares at the wonder of the captured leviathan. “Finally,” he hisses, and even his voice has taken on a hoarser quality. The monstrous nature is breaking through in everyone, it seems, the raw emotion bubbling up to the surface and pulling away the façade with it. It’s horrendous to witness, the transformation, and how they can’t even hide it. “Finally, we have our revenge.” 

Chanyeol appears from under the deck, and makes eye contact with Baekhyun. But Baekhyun doesn’t know what to say- what to try and communicate. They didn’t plan for this step, didn’t see this coming. When they envisioned this, the idea was to sail as far away as they could, as fast as they could, because surely the leviathan would eventually escape and come after them. 

But now, they have not one, but two passengers that they don’t know what to do with. 

Baekhyun steers the ship further out to the sea, and closer to the leviathan. He has no idea what they should do- what they could do, except keep pretending. He wants to get away from the shore, so that no one could come after them, but he doesn’t want teacher Choe to realize something isn’t right while they’re still trying to rework their plan. 

And really, Baekhyun knows why it’s so hard. To make a decision. 

Because he knows that the only choice is to kill teacher Choe- and perhaps, even Junmyeon. 

Taking the life of even someone like teacher Choe, it makes his hands tremble, makes him sick to his stomach. Even though he’s a monster, there’s still something so very human about him- though also mixed inseparably with what makes Baekhyun loathe him, fear him. Yet the idea, it’s too frightening to even admit it to himself. That this is what they need to do, now. 

He never thought himself a coward, but perhaps he is. Or perhaps, he’s just much too soft- perhaps, not desperate enough. 

After all they’ve been through, Baekhyun can’t believe that he can’t find it in himself to do this. 

As he’s weighing his options, Junmyeon turns to look at him, look at Chanyeol who now stands by him. And in his eyes, Baekhyun sees understanding- that he, too, knows that something has to be done. 

But there’s also pain, there. Vivid, and real, and impossible to bear. 

For a brief moment, all the noise fades away. The bubbling fear, the overwhelming urgency, it all bleeds away as the three of them just stare at one another. Breathe in, breathe out in sync, as they all somehow try to communicate the things they couldn’t say- didn’t know how to say.

The feeling rising inside of Baekhyun, the one he thinks he sees in Junmyeon’s eyes, it’s so warm, so delicate, so familiar yet so strange… he looks at Chanyeol and he knows it’s very much different from what he feels for Chanyeol, but he knows that it’s affection. 

After all this, despite all of this, it’s attachment, affection, devotion. 

Junmyeon looks down, for a brief moment, but when tilts his chin back up and their eyes meet again, to his utmost surprise and fear, Baekhyun can tell that he’s crying. 

Junmyeon mouths something at them, something that seems like ‘goodbye’, or perhaps ‘thank you’, and then, he charges at teacher Choe, lunges at him, and both of them fall over the side of the ship, into the waves. 

It takes several seconds for Baekhyun’s brain to even comprehend what he just saw, and then, the pain searing through him is greater than claws slicing through his skin and flesh. 

He can hear the uproar from the villagers watching them, but he doesn’t care. Doesn’t care what they think, what they’re going to do next. They’re no longer important- they can no longer hurt them. 

Without thinking, he abandons the wheel, to rush over to the side of the boat, Chanyeol following his example. Baekhyun feels like his heart will burst out of his chest, as he scans the surface of the water, cursing the waves and the ripples caused by the leviathan as it trashes wildly still. It’s so difficult to see, the murky waters cold and silent, unwilling to give their secrets away. 

“Fuck- Fuck, Junmyeon!” Chanyeol screams, and Baekhyun feels like he’s drowning. Like their entire ship just rolled over, and pulled him down into the depths with it. His heart keeps sinking, lower, and lower still, as he tries to spot Junmyeon in the water, even a piece of his clothing, anything. 

The leviathan roars, but he can’t even be bothered to look up. Doesn’t care, anymore. 

This wasn’t a sacrifice he wanted to make. 

Perhaps, this is his answer- to many things. But most importantly, to what he wondered when Chanyeol entered the water; perhaps, it would be easier to die himself, than watch someone else die before him. 

Chanyeol is crying loudly beside him, screaming Junmyeon’s name. 

And suddenly- a hand, reaching through the water, asking for help. The faint blue of Junmyeon’s jeoggori on the sleeve, his short and sturdy fingers. The bloodied and mauled fingertips, where he tore off his claws, ripped them out so he’d never hurt them again. 

Yet this hurts more than his talons ever did. 

Baekhyun doesn’t even pause to think about it, before he kicks his shoes off, throws off his jeoggori, chucks off his pants. There’s no time to reconsider- he hurls himself over the edge without hesitation, and dives into the waves, closes his eyes as the water welcomes him, swallows him. But as soon as he stops falling, he opens his eyes, kicks himself to the surface, and starts to swim towards Junmyeon. 

He can hear Chanyeol screaming, but he can’t respond, can’t even make out the words, has to just focus on swimming in a straight line. They haven’t done proper physical labor in quite some time, but he’s still a good swimmer, used to the water, unafraid of the waves, the water in his eyes, his mouth, his nose. He only has one goal, and that’s Junmyeon. He has to get to Junmyeon. Even the leviathan, or the fact that it could escape the net at any moment, it doesn’t matter. 

It feels like an eternity, even with how frantically he swims, before he can catch a glimpse of the blue jeoggori again- Junmyeon is flailing in the water, his arms moving in wide, aimless circles that only manage to barely keep him from sinking. He’s gasping for air, his head constantly bobbing underwater, and from the panicked looked in his eyes, Baekhyun knows that he’s drowning. He’s seen the crazed look before, the overwhelming panic, and it propels him to swim faster, to get to him quicker, to save him before it’s too late. 

Junmyeon attaches to him like a leech the moment he gets within his reach, and now Baekhyun realizes why doing this so brazenly was a bad idea. “Stop,” he screams, hopes that Junmyeon isn’t so out of his mind with fear that he wouldn’t understand. “Stop, you’re going to drown me as well! You have to lie down on your back, you need to let me pull you with me!”

It’s hard to speak, with the water lapping at his face, out of breath, fear gnawing at the back of his mind- the leviathan is so close right now, all too close, and every cell in his body wants to get away from it. His body remembers the danger, and wants to get away.

There’s no time. There’s no time to explain, or teach, or even think. All Baekhyun can do is grab Junmyeon’s wrist, and begin to swim back towards the boat, tugging him behind him. Junmyeon keeps flailing, too scared of the water to try and float on his back, although his movements only make it harder for Baekhyun to pull him with him. But Baekhyun grits his teeth through it, keeps kicking his feet, keeps his eye on the boat- can see Chanyeol’s worried face, every time a wave lifts them up. 

Perhaps, he should have asked Chanyeol the question. Perhaps Chanyeol would rather not watch him die, like this. 

Watch the two of them die. 

The leviathan roars again, and there’s something in him that won’t let him ignore it. Baekhyun looks back over his shoulder even as he keeps swimming to safety, and he sees how the sea monster keeps twisting, keeps fighting, and then- one of the tentacles, previously trapped against its body, tears free, breaks through the net as the nylon finally gives in to the immense pressure. 

The net is falling apart, the creature too strong for it to hold down. Just how they suspected. 

“Baekhyun!” 

Chanyeol is now holding a length of rope in his hands. When they capsized, their lifejackets got washed away, so they no longer have any and devising makeshift ones didn’t even cross their minds. A bit of rope is all they have. But Baekhyun is still so far away from the boat, and he’s getting tired, in the chilly waters of the Yellow sea. He turns to look over his shoulder and to his relief, Junmyeon is still breathing, but he can tell that he’s either tired or not getting enough air, with the water constantly washing over his face, since there’s so little Baekhyun can do to stop that from happening. 

But he’s not going to give up. He’s not going to let this happen, not like this. 

The moment Junmyeon went overboard, he knew. He knew what choice he was going to make. 

Chanyeol throws the rope, but it lands far out of Baekhyun’s reach. It takes him a while to reel it back in for another toss, and it falls entirely too short once more. Baekhyun catches a glimpse of Chanyeol’s face- the utter frustration, exhaustion, fear, all of it bubbling up to the surface and taking hold of him. But he can’t comfort him, can’t calm him down, salt water going up his nose and into his eyes, the waves tossing him around and off his course, the weight of Junmyeon’s body straining his arm, his shoulder, his right side, tearing open the cuts that had only barely begun to heal. 

Again, Chanyeol tries to throw the rope to him, and it misses. Baekhyun focuses on keeping his limbs moving, through the exhaustion and pain that is beginning to settle in. Chanyeol does it again, and again, and then- it finally falls in front of Baekhyun, and just seeing that gives him a surge of energy, to kick with his feet, to reach with his free hand, wrap his fingers around the dangling end of it- 

When suddenly fingers coil around his ankle, and yank him down, under the surface. 

Baekhyun barely has the presence of mind to let go of Junmyeon’s hand, so he wouldn’t get pulled under with him. He blinks his eyes open underwater, all the while furiously kicking with his feet to try and get free, but he cannot- and then, the white flowing robes of teacher Choe come into focus, and he can feel the iron grip, the claws digging into his ankle, sharp and unrelenting and mean. And he realizes that he isn’t looking at the man’s amicable face- no, he’s staring down at a monster, enraged and thirsty for blood, crazen with fear, as it fights for its life, its mouth opened into a terrifying, silent growl as it stares up at him. 

In its eyes, Baekhyun reads determination. A promise to take him down with it, even if it’s the last thing it ever does. 

There’s a tug on the rope and he struggles to grab it with both hands, to hold on tight, even as he tries to kick the creature off of him- but he knows that there’s no way, for as long as it’s still conscious and alive, it’ll hold onto him and it will not let go. The claws sink into his flesh deeper, harder, scratch against bare bone and Baekhyun opens his mouth to scream, howling in pain even as he’s yanked back to the surface like a fish hauled out of the water. 

Junmyeon is there, frantic and frightened and drowning, a wild look in his eyes as he throws his arms around Baekhyun the moment he resurfaces from underwater, and Baekhyun can’t get enough air in his lungs to warn him before the monster takes its chance, uses his body for leverage to crawl up as well. It’s terrifying, seeing its deformed face so up close, feeling its rage radiating off of it, and there’s nothing he can do except hold onto the rope and not let go. For he knows that he’ll sink down to the bottom of the sea, if the monster manages to tear him loose. 

Junmyeon lets out a blood-curling scream, and suddenly, he morphs too, giving into his instincts as well as he dives for the monster, swiping with his left arm wildly. And then, something red spreads in the water, as the monsters both scream in agony, kicks and punches landing on Baekhyun as well. In the distance, he can hear Chanyeol screaming, and somehow he manages to think, manages to put enough frazzled thoughts together to grab the back of Junmyeon’s jeoggori, as Chanyeol pulls on the rope, begins to pull them back to the ship, even as the monsters go at it, at each other’s throats. It feels like his right hand is going to pop out of its socket, as he attempts to hold on, but he still won’t let go- won’t let Junmyeon go down like this, die together with this creature. Won’t let teacher Choe have his revenge like this, no matter what it takes. 

It feels like it lasts forever, before Chanyeol hauls them back to the ship, but then, Baekhyun’s head and shoulders bump against its metal side. With his arms burning from exertion, his lungs screaming for air, his heart begging for a break, he uses the leverage to push forward so he can slide his arm around Junmyeon’s middle, for a better grip, and twist the rope around his wrist, to make sure it won’t slip. Teacher Choe immediately begins to scratch at his arm, leaving behind deep welts, but Baekhyun doesn’t care. Can’t care, delirious as he is with fear, exhaustion. 

“Kick him off,” he utters in Junmyeon’s ear, as Chanyeol yanks on the rope. His back collides painfully with the side of the ship, and again, and again, as Chanyeol struggles to pull them up, the weight of all three of them, until Junmyeon lands a hard kick directly in teacher Choe’s face and the monster falls back with a gurgle, blood gushing from its broken nose and jaw. As one third of the weight just disappears, Chanyeol is able to pull them up higher, and Baekhyun can feel his fingers curling around his forearm, his other hand grabbing at his shirt to use as leverage to pull them on deck.

But he can’t really pay attention- the sight of a monster furiously beating the water to get back to surface, its beady eyes staring back at him, it holds his gaze captive. He knows that the monsters do not know how to swim but that doesn’t stop teacher Choe from trying, as it reaches for them, tries to swim forward in the waves, ugly screams leaving its lips even as it struggles to breathe, struggles to keep its head above the water. 

As Chanyeol finally pulls him over the edge and onto the boat, something else emerges from the water- long tentacles, that wrap around the monster’s body, appearing out of nowhere like deadly ghosts, greedy and punishing. He can see the sheer panic in the monster’s eyes as the situation registers with it, and then, it’s too late; the tentacles pull him down, beneath the waves, and not even its inhumane strength is enough to resist it. 

The leviathan has broken loose from the net. 

They all tumble down in a heap on the deck, but there’s no time to catch his breath, no time to recover from any of this. Baekhyun scrambles to get back on his feet, even as something smashes against their ship- the leviathan is coming for them, has only had part of its revenge, and it desires more. 

“We need to get out of here,” he screams, to no one in particular, doesn’t know how the others are fairing as he dives for the wheel, dives for the dashboard. His clumsy hands hit just about every button, every switch, as he tries to get the boat under his control, get it into the highest gear and drive out of here- escaping as quickly as possible is their only chance, though it’s already too late. They couldn’t outrun the monster last time, and they won’t be able to do so now. 

The ship rattles again as something bangs up against it, and Baekhyun feels like vomiting out of sheer fear, even as his hands turn the wheel, eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of light- any sign of the fog dissipating. But all he can see is the dizzying grey, the disorienting mist that refuses to budge, and he has no idea where to go. 

“Fuck!” Chanyeol screams, and Baekhyun turns his head to look. To his horror, he sees tentacles reaching over the side of the ship, the suction cups holding onto the metal surface tightly as they slither forward, inching along for a better grip, no doubt with the intention of turning them over. But Chanyeol has no hesitation in attacking them, cutting through them with his knife, to make them pull back, let go. Junmyeon follows his example, attacking them viciously with his remaining claws, hissing and biting and growling, his sharp fangs tainted red as he mercilessly tears apart the monster’s flesh. 

The monster lets go, for a moment, and goes back to bumping into their boat, banging against it. The entire ship rattles as it does so, and Baekhyun knows that leaks will appear if this keeps up; their already damaged ship won’t be able to endure this for very long, and there’s no telling when the monster will give up the chase. If it will at all. 

And he doesn’t even know if they’re even going in the right direction.

He turns on the sonar radar, their GPS though they’re both only barely functional. But as soon as he does, a piercing sound rips through the air- the radio is screaming, as it’s now connected to the other devices, and it’s making the most haunted sound he’s ever heard, malfunctioning so bizarrely that he can’t even begin to guess how he made that happen. 

The sound is so terrible that he’s just about to turn the entire thing off, when he hears Junmyeon screaming- and it doesn’t for once sound like pain, or fear. He turns to look and sees Junmyeon standing on the starboard side, hanging over the railing as he stares into the water, though Baekhyun can’t hear what he’s saying over the sound of the radio. Whatever it is, however, it almost seems as if he’s elated- but that’s impossible. There’s no reason for joy, right now. 

Chanyeol rushes over to Junmyeon, and his jaw drops as he stares out into the water. That’s when Baekhyun abandons his post at the wheel, and hurries over to them.

“It’s swimming away from us!” Chanyeol yells as soon as Baekhyun appears by his side, and points at the waves. And though Baekhyun can’t believe it, can’t actually believe his own eyes, it seems to be true- the tentacles are still trashing in the water, wildly, but it is heading away from them, away from the boat, twisting and turning and writhing almost like it’s in pain somehow. It cannot be from the injured tentacles because that didn’t hold it back mere moments ago-

“It’s the noise,” Baekhyun realizes. “It’s sensitive to the noise!” And it makes sense, how the leviathan could always tell if someone entered the water, even if it was out somewhere far, or on the other side of the island. It could hear it- it could hear it all, no matter where it was. Its ears are what take it to its prey, regardless of distance, regardless of how big or small. 

The sound of the broken radio, hideous and loud, is too much for it. It’s hurting its sensitive ears, and forces it to swim away, abandon the hunt. It’s obvious how it’s in agony, how disoriented it is, its injured tentacles beating the water as it tries to get away as fast as possible.

Watching it retreat, all on its own, Baekhyun can barely believe it. Can’t grasp the situation- that they’re going to make it. They’re actually going to make it. Against all odds, they’ve beaten every obstacle in their way.

The fight is over. At long last, it’s over.

The island has almost completely disappeared into the fog, and though they can hear the screams of the enraged villagers even over the sound of the radio, they know they’re powerless. They cannot enter the water, cannot come after them, and the leviathan is now helpless against them too. 

It will only be a matter of time before they sail out of the fog, and into broad daylight. Into seas they know, and away from this nightmare, for good.

“Is this where I… where I should get off?” 

Junmyeon’s voice is so small that Baekhyun barely catches his words over the sound of the broken radio still screaming bloody murder, but there’s zero hesitation in how he goes to grab his arm, to stop him from hurling himself over the edge again. And Chanyeol does the same, grabbing him by the shoulders with both hands, a panicked look on his face that mimics the fear Baekhyun is feeling on the inside. 

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Chanyeol tells him sternly. “Don’t even think about it. I’m not gonna survive watching you do that again, or watching Baekhyun dive after you. Everyone stays on the boat, alright? No funny business, now.”

“Exactly. I didn’t save you just so you could throw your life away again, Junmyeon. Don’t do that to us.” The sight of Junmyeon falling into the water will forever be burned in his memory. He tightens his grip on Junmyeon’s arm instinctively just thinking back to it. “Junmyeon, we don’t want you dead. We can’t stand the thought of you dead, or hurt. We don’t… We don’t want you to…” To sacrifice himself. 

It’s risky. Bringing a predator like him back with them. But Baekhyun knows that it’s the only right choice- the only option their hearts can choose, without splitting in half. They would have died to save the entire human race, had it come down to it, but Junmyeon? It’s hard to see him as a threat anymore. 

Not when he’s proven his heart, his goodness to them so many times. Saving their lives, protecting them, even going as far as throwing himself into the sea to take teacher Choe with him. Tearing out his own claws, as punishment for hurting them. 

It’s all sorts of stupid and dangerous. But at the same time- Baekhyun trusts him. Trusts the good in him, the will to do what’s right. 

He doesn’t know what they’ll do with him, once they make it back to land; how are they going to handle his monstrous tendencies, his hunger for human flesh, his crave for nourishment? But even so, with these questions in mind, as he stares into Junmyeon’s eyes, Baekhyun knows that he doesn’t really care. 

They’ve gotten this far, somehow. They’ve made it, against all odds. This, all this, it seems like such a minor hurdle in comparison. 

In Junmyeon’s dark eyes, there are questions. Vulnerability. Affection- so much affection. 

Baekhyun has no choice but to love him. 

It’s a daring move, but he presses a kiss on Junmyeon’s bloodied cheek, and then, when he holds perfectly still, on the corner of his mouth. “There could be more of those, if you’d like,” he says as he pulls away, and really, with the radio blearing, the island still in their line of vision through the fog, the leviathan causing turmoil in the water, his boyfriend hovering right beside them- this is the worst, the absolute worst time and place for this. “If Chanyeol would like, too. I think I speak for both of us when I say that we cherish you a lot, Junmyeon. We care about you a lot, and if you let us… If you want us… Well…” 

Choosing a word is too difficult, when there has been no time to think, or talk, or prepare. But when he meets Chanyeol’s eyes, he knows that he feels the same- whatever that feeling might be, exactly. 

Now, at least, they have a future. A future in which they can figure it out.

Junmyeon is blinking up at him, and Baekhyun pulls him into a hug. Chanyeol follows suit, wrapping his arms around them both, leaning his taller frame against them like a big shield keeping them safe.

“We will go home. All three of us. We’re gonna go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> although this is just under 70k, somehow this was a lot harder to write the tiger and the magpie. maybe it was the genre, maybe it was the dynamics, maybe it was... just about everything? I've been struggling with this "fun little experiment" since june. or may. I can't even remember? and all this because I heard a weird word when I was watching an episode of the crown. leviathan. 
> 
> the word wouldn't leave my brain, and I came up with this plot in one afternoon. I had no idea it would take so much out of me to write it. it's been a challenge, a different kind of challenge, and well... at the end of it I've pretty much written a whole chalkbacon fic haven't I? life is strange like that, I guess.
> 
> I don't know what my next story will be. or how long it will take me to recover from this journey. but I hope to see you there when I get there.


End file.
